April 30, 2018



April 30, 2018, New Haven (CT) Independent: Teachers Seek Inclusion For Special Ed Kids This school year, almost 3,100 students in New Haven have been placed in special education programs, representing 15 percent of the district.Within that group, 40 percent have been diagnosed with a specific learning disability like dyslexia or dyscalculia. More than 20 percent have a health impediment like attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Just over 10 percent of children are autistic. …April 30, 2018, (UK) Croydon Advertiser: Oversubscribed special needs school in Wallington applies to build temporary classrooms’It is run by the Orchard Hill College and Academy Trust and currently has more than 200 pupils between seven and 18 years old.Earlier this month it was announced that the trust will open a free school for 246 pupils in New Addington with funding from the Department for Education. …Mr Watkins said: “A proposed relocation of the school to a new larger building under the free school programme is anticipated from December 2020 to meet the growing need for special education provision in the local area, increasing student numbers to 246.April 30, 2018, (UK) ITV News (East Anglia): Parents claim education system is failing 'lost generation' of special needs children“The high needs budget for pupils with special educational needs is ?6 billion this year – the highest on record - and core school funding will rise to a ?43.5 billion by 2020 – also the highest on record and a 50% real terms per pupil increase from 2000.April 30, 2018, Winchester (KY) Sun: ‘It takes a village’: Fair offers support, resources to community About 30 percent of students in the school district take special education classes ranging from speech to students with severe disabilities, Hillman said.April 30, 2018, Fort Wayne (IN) Journal Gazette: Wayne students develop functional skills Data from the Indiana Department of Education indicate Wayne's special education population comprises 244 students this academic year, or nearly 20 percent of the student body.April 30, 2018, (Canada) Squamish (BC) Chief: The good, the bad and the challenging: A breakdown of B.C. class sizesEducation Minister Rob Fleming was not available Friday for an interview, however the Ministry of Education said in part the numbers are due to an increase in the number of students with special needs in the system and more students being diagnosed with special needs. …There are 17,466 classes with more than three special needs students, an increase of about 150 classes from last year, a record high year. To put that in perspective, in 2006-07, 14 per cent of all classes had four or more students with special needs. Today, 23 per cent of classes have four or more students with special needs.April 26, 2018, New London, CT, The Day: Current Norwich school budget will end with big deficit June 30Nagel said she updated the figures recently before presenting them to the budget committee, “since I did the numbers, five more (special education) students came into the district.” Norwich has seen an influx of about 100 new special education students in the past 18 months, Nagel said.April 25, 2018, Austin (TX) American Statesman: Commentary: Help pre-K kids manage feelings instead of suspending themThose are two of the responses we’ve received to our report about the 101,000 times Texas school districts suspended students in pre-K through second grade in a single year. …On the other hand, Jasper ISD issued a shocking 80 suspensions to its cohort of 122 pre-K students — and Killeen ISD meted out a stunning 1,460 suspensions to a pre-K enrollment of 3,423 students, according to TEA data on the 2015-16 school year. In fact, Killeen had less than 2 percent of the state’s pre-K kids, but 31 percent of the state’s pre-K suspensions.April 25, 2018, WI Radio Network: AG Schimel announces School Safety Grant Initiative Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel has?announced?the opening of the state’s $100 million School Safety Grant Initiative. K-12 schools, both public and private, are encouraged to apply for the grants, which will be awarded starting in June. …One of the School Safety Grant prerequisites is providing all full-time teachers, aides, counselors, and administrators with a minimum of three hours combined training in Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) and?Trauma Informed Care/Trauma Sensitive Schools (TIC/TSS) before the end of the 2018-2019 school year; or demonstrate that staff has already received such training.April 25, 2018, (UK) Nottingham Post: School 'over the moon' with new extension which will increase the intake by 25 percentA school for children with special education needs will be able to increase its intake by 25 percent after a ?2 million investment.Ash Lea School in Cotgrave has received a ?2.3 million investment from?Nottinghamshire County Council?which has allowed it to build an extension to increase its capacity. G F Tomlinson built the two storey extension, which means the school now has space for an extra 18 pupils, taking its total capacity to 90.April 24, 2018, Schenectady (NY) Daily Gazette: Saratoga School District levy increase aims to smooth out capital costsCity School District voters will be asked next month to approve a 3.9 percent levy increase aimed partly at absorbing a big drop-off in state building aid associated with projects from over a decade ago. …The budget supports six new staff positions and maintains a position that was added during the current school year. The new additions,?which will cost around $465,000, are driven by rising needs in special education students and English language learners, Hilker said.April 24, 2018, Minneapolis Star Tribune: Minnetonka school for autistic children grows with need … Brown is one of several parents who have enrolled their children at the academy, one of a small but growing number of Minnesota schools in recent years specifically designed for students with ASD or related learning differences.From six students in 2004, when it was set up, to 60 students, the school has come a long way in enrolling students with special needs from places as far away as Wisconsin. It expects to enroll 66 students next year in the new building, which can accommodate 100. …The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 1 in 68 children in the U.S. has autism, and the rate is higher in Minnesota. In Minneapolis alone, one in 48 children has been diagnosed with ASD, the CDC says. …April 24, 2018, ABC6, Fargo—Moorhead, ND: Plans are in the work to further help kids with behavioral issuesIn a joint effort between West Fargo and Fargo, plans are in the making for a first of its kind school designed to help students with behavioral issues. …… It's a $4 million project that will add two classrooms and be split between each district….If approved, the first phase would accommodate up to 16 students for the fall of 2018.April 24, 2018, Grand Forks (ND) Herald: Special elementary school planned for students with severe behavioral problems would be first of its kind in NDThe rise of behavioral issues has grown beyond the disruption of classes. West Fargo has seen an increase in staff injuries due to student behavior.Reports of staff injuries nearly doubled between December 2015, when 68 reports were filed, and December 2017, when 125 reports were filed. ….April 24, 2018, (Ireland) Leitrim Observer: More Leitrim Autism Units to be built this yearSince 2011 the number of ASD special classes have increased from two to five in Co. Leitrim.The new ASD classes will include five new Primary ASD classes and seven new Post-Primary ASD classes…. Since 2011, the increase in [Special Needs Assisants] SNAs has been 3,545, including an additional 2,080 posts in the last two years.The number of resource teachers has increased by 3,660 since 2011, including 1,600 additional posts in the past two years.The number of special classes has risen by 712 since 2011, including 277 new classes in the past two years.April 23, 2018, (Australia) PR: New autism school on Gold Coast to welcome first students…The same report said that between 10 and 20 per cent of children with autism are outside of mainstream education, predominantly being home schooled or bouncing from school to school.?April 23, 2018, Rochester (NY) Democrat and Chronicle: Demand grows for special-ed preschool teachers in Finger Lakes region … Job openings for special-education preschool teachers are projected to rise 16.1 percent?between 2014 and 2024, with 20 annual openings, reports the New York State Department of Labor.April 23, 2018, Fort Wayne (IN) News Sentinel: Autism in EducationAccording to the Indiana Department of Education, last year, the state identified 15,210 school-age students whose primary disability was autism spectrum disorder; this year, it is 15,721, an increase of 511 or 3.3 percent. “This has been the trend for the last several years,” said Pamela Wright, director of the office of special education, Indiana Department of Education. …Cathy Pratt, director of the Indiana Resource Center for Autism at Indiana University, has witnessed the increase in children diagnosed with autism.April 22, 2018, Fort Wayne (IN) Journal Gazette: Special Education in Allen County—Schools' growing challengeAt 168,107 students this academic year, the number of special education students in Indiana schools is the highest since at least 2005-06, when enrollment was slightly more than 160,000 students, according to the state. In both years, special education students represented about 15?percent of students.April 21, 2018, Andalusia (AL) Start—News: Autism awareness: Local program is hyper-focused on early intervention… ACS District Administrator Sonja Hines previously worked as the system’s special education coordinator. Twenty years ago, she said, the system had seven students on the spectrum. This year, there are 30, and educators are working to develop individual education plans for four more students who are being evaluated. …April 20, 2018, (UK) Evening Standard: Plans to expand primary school in worst borough for pupil placesThe new buildings would include the borough’s first special needs school and would cater for 530 pupils, a rise on the 368 children there now. Eighty places will be at the special school and 30 will be available as part of the new nursery.?…Speaking after the planning meeting, Barlby’s headteacher Anthony Mannix said the demand for school places — particularly for those with additional needs — was “very much an issue”.?“Our primary school is heavily oversubscribed, therefore not all parents are getting their first choice because they want us as their first choice,” he said.?…A council spokesman said: “There is growing demand for a local special school as the number of children with?autism continues to increase and currently many children have to travel out of the borough to receive specialist?education.” April 19, 2018, (Ireland) Independent: School puts something special into education There are almost 18,000 children with ASD in Irish primary and post-primary schools, including 3,800 in special classes. …Currently, there are 1,307 special classes of which 1,048 are designated for students with ASD, more than double what it was a decade ago, and The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) expects to open about 180 more next September.Most ASD classes are in primary schools and more are needed.April 19, 2018, Springville (NY) Journal: WVCS board adopts $9m budget One of the biggest changes from last year’s budget will be a $150,982.72 increase in the special education program. In previous years, the district has had a significant surplus, but when projecting the remainder of this year, the surplus is decreasing as costs are increasing, with those numbers continuing to go up next year.“It doesn’t take that many students for these numbers to skyrocket really quickly depending on their needs,” O’Brien said. “At [2018-19], I see it even going up more…”April 18, 2018, Youth Today: Los Angeles School District Fighting Trauma With Wellness Centers Their 2016-17 screening of 2,500 students from 63 elementary, middle and high schools revealed 26 percent of the students were at risk for traumatic stress while 40 percent of students reported that they did not feel safe or very safe when at school.April 18, 2018, Washington Post: Ten problems teachers did not have to deal with a decade agoOver 20 percent of today’s teenage?students experience a form of acute anxiety leading to disengagement, more absenteeism, and isolation. And this anxiety has harmful offshoots such as eating disorders, self-harm, and frequent fainting in classes.April 18, 2018, New Rochelle, NY FM: New Rochelle Board of Education adopts $272,804,093 budget for the 2018-2019 school year…The budget proposal has a 3.89 percent tax levy increase, which means the budget exceeds the state tax cap, which is 2.231 percent for New Rochelle. That means the budget will need 60 percent of the voters to approve the measure, rather than a simple majority, when the budget goes before voters on May 15….The plan carries a spending increase of $13,181,605, or 5.08 percent, over the current year’s budget. …... This spending plan is responsive to the community’s requests for increased social-emotional supports…April 17, 2018, Coos Bay (OR) World: Coos Bay School District puts mental health therapist in every building—Dr. Charles Majuri is the district's first ever elementary mental health therapist through the Waterfall Clinic Experts say there are roughly 15 million children in the US who need psychiatric care, yet only 8,300 practicing child psychiatrists, many clustered in large metropolitan areas.April 17, 2018, Olean (NY) Times: Could your child be suffering from a mental illness?Statistics show that 20 percent of youth aged 13-18 experience a severe mental health disorder at some point. …April 16, 2018, JWeekly, Jewish News of Northern California: How did Israel become the ADHD capital of the world?…Davidovitch found that the rate of ADHD diagnoses more than doubled between 2005 and 2014. By then, he says, one in every seven Israeli children, or 14.4 percent, had been diagnosed, the highest reported diagnosis rate of any nation.The average?rate?among U.S. children ages 2 to 17, as reported by the CDC in 2016, was 9.4 percent, although in some states it’s higher. Kentucky, for instance, has reported a rate of?14.8 percent. …April 16, 2018, (UK) Manchester Evening News: New school for 200 children with special educational needs could be built in order to cope with demand Demand for primary school places for children with special educational needs and disabilities is so high in Stockport that council bosses are planning to build a huge new ‘hub’ for up to 200 youngsters..Con Dean Fitzpatrick, cabinet member for education, presenting a report on the issue to the town hall’s children and families scrutiny committee, said: “In September 2018, due toinsufficient capacity, there [will be] 33 reception pupils who require a special school place, but cannot be accommodated – and this demand will continue. “This budget currently has a deficit of ?235,0000 because transport to an independent special school is higher than to a local authority school.”Council papers state that by September, there will be 190 primary and 385 secondary local authority-maintained special school places in Stockport. …April 15, 2018, Brooklyn, NY, Hamodia (Daily Newspaper of Torah Jewry): The Upshot of an Increase In Allergic ReactionsAccording to a new report from the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, whose researchers looked at almost 10 million children in the U.S., the rate of emergency room visits due to acute allergic reactions, or anaphylaxis, increased from 2010 to 2016 by 150%.April 15, 2018, (Canada) CBC: Parents of children with autism announce plan to take legal action against governmentThe?parents are planning to sue various government institutions, such as?school boards and health care institutions. ….Though the province invested $29 million into an action plan to improve autism services nearly a year ago, these parents say they haven't seen any change and that it's simply not enough money. …Spokesperson for Quebec's Public Health Ministry Alexandra Régis said the increase in autism rates has made it difficult to deliver services. …April 14, 2018, WTNH—TV, New Haven, CT: Dealing with school anxiety / refusal Licensed Psychologist Dr. Ryan Loss came to Good Morning Connecticut on Saturday morning to talk about school anxiety and refusal behaviors.Loss said avoidance behaviors have been increasing significantly over the past three to five years.April 14, 2018, (UK) Nantwich News: New special free school for South Cheshire children to open in CreweA new special free school for South Cheshire children with social, emotional and mental health needs is to open in Crewe.East Cheshire Youth Achievement Free School Trust, which runs Fermain Academy in Macclesfield, has been approved to open a 40-place special free school for children aged 4-16.It is one of 14 new ones to be opened across the country after the area was identified as in need of additional special school places in the borough….April 13, 2018, Education Week: A Bold Proposal for Taking Mental Health Seriously in Schools There is urgent need to protect the safety of all children in school. There have been?more than 60 school shootings since the Sandy Hook attack in 2012, according to an analysis by TIME. Since the Feb. 14 Parkland, Fla., shooting, the Educators School Safety Network has recorded?an increase in school-based violent threats across the nation:?50 threats per day on average. In the 2017-18 school year, there have been violent incidents or threats in 48 states to date….April 13, 2018, Lansdale, PA, Souderton Independent: Souderton Area School District set to propose 2.4% tax hike After five years in a row of 1 percent or less tax hikes, Souderton Area School Board is poised to vote at its April 26 meeting on a proposed budget raising taxes 2.4 percent for the 2018-2019 school year. … “This is a tight year because of charter school increases, special ed increases,” Gallagher said.As expected, though, elementary school enrollment is decreasing, he said.April 13, 2018, South Washington County (MN) Bulletin: Dayton proposes $19 million additional special education funds ST. PAUL -- Gov. Mark Dayton has proposed an additional $19 million in special education funding for next year, as such expenses rise throughout the state.His plan would increase spending by $22 million the following year. …She noted that costs are rising from increased numbers of students needing services…April 12, 2018, St. Cloud (MN) Times: 'It's a crisis situation:' Underfunded special education mandates cost district $11.7M The St. Cloud school district plans to spend about $31 million this school year on special education.?But more than $11 million?of that will not be provided from federal or state funds. Instead, the district will tap its general fund for those special education costs. …"This is a problem. It has to be addressed and it needs to be addressed soon," said Bruce Hentges, a member of the school board and the board's legislative committee. "It has reached crisis level when you're looking at over $11 million that could be going to regular education."?…As of Dec. 1, the district had 2,414 special education students, an increase of nearly 5 percent over last year.?April 11, 2018, Miami Community Newspapers: Teachers can help reduce mental health problems in children, study findsThe implications are significant considering approximately 30 to 40 percent of youth in the U.S. will be diagnosed with at least one mental health disorder by adolescence.April 11, 2018, Sandy, UT, West Jordan Journal: Mindful of mental health?He said research shows 10 percent of middle school students experience suicidal thoughts.April 11, 2018, Newburyport (MA) Daily News: Amesbury school officials OK 5.3 percent budget increaseReese began the meeting by informing the committee the special education line item had to be increased by $300,000 over the past week due to an?unexpected addition of special needs students.April 11, 2018, (UK) Northumberland Chronicle: More school places to be created in Northumberland for pupils with special educational needsBetween 2013 and 2017 there was a 32% increase in the number of pupils at Northumberland's eight maintained special schoolsNorthumberland County Council is urgently creating more school places in the face of a huge increase in the number of pupils with special educational needs. …In total, almost 6,500 children - or 14% of the entire school population - are classified as having a special educational need.April 10, 2018, Michigan MLive: Michigan lacks much-needed mental-health support for K-12 students One in five children in the country ages 3 through 17 have a?diagnosable mental, emotional or behavioral disorder in a given year,…April 10, 2018, Marshall (MN) Independent: Schools facing mental health challengeThe statistics on children’s mental health are startling — 1 in 7 U.S. children aged 2 to 8 years old has a diagnosed mental, behavioral or developmental disorder. One in 4 children are affected by an anxiety disorder, though 80 percent are never treated, according to the Center for Disease Control. …“With the statistics being 1 in 7 children, that would be 75 students at Park Side who would be dealing with a mental health crisis,”?Hey said.?“With the national anxiety statistics at 1 in 4, that would be 134 students dealing with anxiety.”…April 10, 2018, (Ireland) Dublin Irish Sun: 'INVISIBLE DISABILITY'?Autism affects one in 65 people in Ireland yet we are still clueless about the conditionIT affects up to one in 65 people in Ireland and yet many are still painfully clueless about autism ...Autism affects up to one in 65 people in Ireland...April 10, 2018, (UK) Independent: Children with special needs lose out as schools reach 'breaking point' over funding cuts, says teachers' unionAnother straw poll of parents, released?at the union’s conference, found that nearly a quarter (24 per cent) of children with SEND are not in school at all. ?April 10, 2018, Athens (AL) News Courier: Athens-Limestone lights it up blue for autism Overwhelmed by the crowd, 4-year-old Sebastian Ikner reached for the mayor's hand instead of a balloon. Ikner is one of 19 students in the pre-K–5 autism unit at JES. April 10, 2018, (UK) Basingstoke Gazette: Catch 22 Multi Academy Trust will sponsor new special free schoolThe Department for Education has announced the sponsors for 14 new special free schools for children with additional needs, including children with autism set to be delivered around the country.Catch22 Multi Academy Trust – which already runs five special schools and an alternative provision school – will open the 125-place special school for children aged four to 16 with autism spectrum disorder and social communication needs in Basingstoke. …April 10, 2018, Nutley, New Jersey, : A Snapshot of Autism Spectrum Disorder in New Jersey About 1 in 41, or 2.5% of 8-year-old children were identified with ASD by NJAS in 2012….April 10, 2018, Raleigh, NC, WBTV—TV: NC is in desperate need of school nurses. Will it foot the $45 million to $79 million bill for more?Schools also dealt with a 75 percent increase in student chronic health conditions such as asthma, diabetes and food allergies from 2002-2015….April 10, 2018, (UK) Northern Ireland, Irish News: Leona O'Neill: We urgently need to offer our children hope for a better futureSTARTLING research released last week revealed that nearly half of young people in Northern Ireland have experienced a mental health problem and that almost 70 per cent of our children say they regularly feel stressed. …April 9, 2018, New York Times: Life-Threatening Allergic Reactions Rising in Children… A?new report?from Blue Cross Blue Shield looked at allergy diagnoses and at emergency room visits for anaphylaxis from 2010 to 2016 among their subscribers, who include 9.6 million children 18 and under all over the country. The report showed an increase in the incidence of children being diagnosed as “at risk” for anaphylaxis over the course of those seven years. And correspondingly, the rate of emergency room visits for anaphylaxis more than doubled, to 3.5 visits per 10,000 children in 2016 from 1.4 in 2010. …April 9, 2018, Raleigh (NC) News Observer: NC is in desperate need of school nurses. Will it foot the $45 million to $79 million bill for more?Schools also dealt with a 75 percent increase in student chronic health conditions such as asthma, diabetes and food allergies from 2002-2015….April 9, 2018, WNCT—TV, Greenville, NC: Beaufort Co. considers school safety changes… The proposed changes, which are expected to cost $250,000, address student mental health, add more school resource officers to the community college and public schools, and include design changes….April 9, 2018, Fox4, Kansas City, KS: Kansas lawmakers approve school mental health pilot program, select KCK?districtThe state legislature's approved $10 million that will help create "behavioral health improvement teams," made up of a clinician and case manger from community mental health centers in Kansas and a school behavioral health liaison employed by the district. …April 8, 2018, (UK) Times: ‘Shameful’ cuts hit children with special needsDepartment for Education figures show that 4,152 children and young people with disabilities or special needs were left without a school place last year. …In 2010, the equivalent figure stood at just 776 and has risen sharply in recent years; schools say they are unable to pay for specialist staff and equipment. …April 8, 2018, (UK) South Wales Argus: Newport special needs school to be expanded by 50 placesNEWPORT'S only dedicated school for youngsters with special needs will be expanded by 50 places if a decision is signed off next week.April 7, 2018, Chicago Daily Tribune: How one suburban district is helping traumatized students succeed This school year, roughly 100 students in first through fifth grades at Perry Elementary School in Carpentersville struggling with emotional traumas and behavioral issues are receiving additional support in smaller classroom settings to improve their academic performance and overall health.April 6, 2018, (Ireland) Dublin People: School praised for asthma initiativeMs Quinn explained how one in five children in Ireland suffer from asthma, some diagnosed, some not.April 6, 2018, Washington, DC, The Hill: We now know the importance of trauma-informed care, but there is more work to be done Research shows?when a person has one ACE, they are more likely to have another two or more. The most recent?national data?indicate that almost 25 percent of children in the United States have experienced at least one ACE and almost 22 percent have two or more. In Wisconsin, these rates are lower than the national average, at 21.2 percent and 20.3 percent, respectively.April 5, 2018, (UK) Wessex 96/97.2 FM: Multi-million pound investment for special needs education in DorsetOver the last 22 months, Dorset has seen a 49 per cent increase in children with an Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCP). There were 2094 children and young people with an EHCP plan at the end of March and the co.uncil expects that figure to have increased to more than 2,440 by 2023. …A new special school is also due to open in Bovington next September (2019). Funded by the Education and Skills Funding Agency, it will provide places for another 160 children with autism, as well as social, emotional and mental health needs.April 5, 2018, (UK) PutneySW15: An update from your local ward Councillors and candidate? … The Council investment will also support children with special needs. Investment of ?350,000 will allow two new classes at Paddock special school in Roehampton, which caters for children with learning difficulties, and Riversdale School in Southfields will see a new ?450,000 unit to support children with special needs.April 5, 2018, Boston Globe: Triton towns will vote on overrides … “The largest budget driver this year was increased special education costs, including approximately $1 million in new spending on tuition for students in outside placements, as well as two new special educators in the district.” …April 5, 2018, (UK) Bedford Today: New school for children with special needs planned for Kempston …While there is already pressure on the limited number of school spaces for children with disabilities and SEN in Bedford Borough, it is believed an extra 700 such places will be needed by 2030. …April 3, 2018, Westlake (OH) Observer: Free sensory awareness kits available at Connecting for Kids Meet and Greet on April 19 Many children labeled as a behavior problem, impulsive, overactive or shy may actually be struggling with sensory processing issues where the brain has trouble receiving and responding to information that comes in through the senses. According to research statistics found on the?STAR Institute for Sensory Processing Disorder?website, “1 in every 6 children experiences sensory symptoms that may be significant enough to affect aspects of everyday life functions.”April 3, 2018, (UK) Telegraph and Argus: Protest unsuccessful as Council passes cuts to disabled children's services… Dominic Wall, head of Southfield Special School, said there is a “growing demand for children with complex needs” in Bradford.He said: “In the past three years it has gone up in excess of 25%, but we have not had increased government funding to match the growth, but we get a fixed amount per place. …April 3, 2018, (Canada) CBC: Magazine names Channel-Port aux Basques most autism-friendly town in CanadaNewfoundland and Labrador has the highest rate of autism spectrum disorder in the country at one in 57 children between ages five and 17, according to the?Public Health Agency of Canada.April 3, 2018, Fitchburg (MA) Sentinel & Enterprise: Shortage of nurses seen in Leominster school systemIt's been an extremely challenging year." …Among mental and behavioral health issues being seen in students, 657 have been diagnosed with ADHD or ADD, 326 with anxiety, 239 with depression, 183 with autism, and 105 with a known history of trauma.As far as physical illnesses, Gaudet said 941 students have asthma, 544 have allergies, and 58 have cardiac conditions, though she pointed out the 23 students with Type 1 diabetes as higher than previous years.April 3, 2018, Provo (UT) Daily Herald: Light it Up Blue: Vivint's new sensory room offers hope during Autism Awareness Month … In Utah, 1 in 54 children in Utah have been diagnosed with autism, higher than the national average of 1 in 68, according to the Centers for Disease Control. …April 3, 2018, (UK) Guardian: Teachers have sounded the alarm – it’s time to listenThe number of children with special educational needs in England without a school place has more than doubled from?1,710 in 2016 to 4,050 in 2017. …April 2, 2018, Hornell (NY) Tribune:?Committee told space tight at C-G Elementary The elementary school could use at least three more classrooms just for special education students, the principal said. …Brownell said a sensory room for the 22 special needs students plus one additional conference room for the entire building “would be useful.” …April 2, 2018, (UK) Sun: BAD EDUCATION—Teachers ‘headbutted, spat at and have eyes gouged by kids as young as FOUR’Teaching staff across the country have also reported suffering dangerous levels of anxiety when heading into work. …She said: "In the last two years behaviour in children has increased to an extremely violent level.”April 2, 2018, Chicago Daily Herald: U-46 studying how trauma affects students, revising teaching approach Officials estimate roughly 30 percent of U-46 students are experiencing multiple ACEs and dealing with such children is "exhausting teachers" who suffer from compassion fatigue.April 2, 2018, (UK) Independent: School mental health problems extend to primary-age pupils amid cuts to support The vast majority (96 per cent) of teachers say they have come into contact with pupils of all ages experiencing mental health issues, according to research from the NASUWT teaching union.Of these, around one in seven (14 per cent) said that pupils experiencing these difficulties were aged between four and seven, while over a quarter (27 per cent) said they were aged seven to 11. …April 1, 2018, Wichita (KS) Star: Wichita school district has new plan for elementary students with behavior problemsBryant Opportunity Academy — located at the former Bryant Core Knowledge Magnet Elementary near Ninth and West — will serve about 100 kindergarten-through-sixth-grade students "who need a more highly structured, controlled environment," said Terrell Davis, executive director of public affairs and special projects for the Wichita district. …According to district data, the number of discipline incidents in elementary schools — including suspensions, detentions and trips to the principal's office — increased from 8,762 four years ago to nearly 13,500 last school year – an increase of more than 53 percent.April 1, 2018, (UK) Tes: SEN teachers 'are headbutted, spat on and punched – sometimes every day' More than half of special educational needs (SEN) teachers have been physically assaulted by their pupils, a survey shows. …Nearly three-fifths (59 per cent) said they had been attacked in the past year, and 74 per cent said they had experienced verbal abuse.April 1, 2018, (UK) Telegraph: Special needs children 'paying price' for education funding 'crisis' Overall, as of January last year, there were 287,290 children and young people, up to the age of 25 in England, that had an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP), or a statement of special educational needs. …The year before, there were 256,315 children and young people with an EHCP or statement, and again the vast majority were 19 and under.Mar 31, 2018, Racine (WI) Journal Times: All-inclusive Wadewitz playground finally coming to fruition Wadewitz, 2700 Yout St., has a large population of students with orthopedic impairments, including many who use wheelchairs. Of its nearly 600 students, 22 percent have special needs — including autism, physical limitations and intellectual challengesMar 31, 2018, Presque Isle, ME, The County: Special education costs a perennial concern for school districts SAD 1 provides special education to 18.5 percent of its students, more than the state average of 16 percent and national average of 12 percent. …At SAD 42 in Mars Hill, 20 percent of students receive special education services, a majority of them for speech and language needs, said superintendent Elaine Boulier. Mar 31, 2018, (UK) Hartlepool Mail: Government accused of failing to address worries over Hartlepool schools funding The council added a 2.6% ‘high needs’ funding increase for children and young people with special educational needs or disabilities is not enough to meet “unprecedented” levels of demand and the town faces a shortfall of ?825,000 a year.Mar 30, 2018, (UK) Get Surrey: Parents secure legal aid funding to take county council to court over 'unlawful' ?21m savings to services supporting children with disabilitiesAccording to SCC, the number of children with a statement of special educational needs or an education, health and care plan (EHCP) has increased by 44% from 2010 to 2018.In an attempt to tackle the "unprecedented increases in demand", SCC has boosted the overall budget for children, schools and families by ?25,377,000 from ?454,738,000 (2017/2018) to ?480,115,000 (2018/2019). Mar 30, 2018, (UK) Lancaster Evening Post: Rising number of exclusions at Lancashire schools A report presented to county hall’s education committee revealed 346 exclusions across primary, secondary and special schools in 2016/17. The number has risen from 305 the previous year in addition to 6,700 fixed-term exclusions.6,700 disruptive children excluded from Lancashire schools Mar 29, 2018, (UK) Gloucestershire Gazette: Special free school to open at Marlwood School A NEW special free school will soon be set up in Alveston, following a successful bid from South Gloucestershire Council.The school, which will be the second of its kind in South, will be based on the Marlwood School site, offering 112 places over a three-year period for children aged two-to-19-years-old with severe learning difficulties, autism spectrum disorder and with profound and multiple learning difficulties. Mar 30, 2018, Joplin (MO) Four States Homepage: Legislators approve funding increase for Southeast Kansas schoolsKansas House Bill 2445 increases funding in several areas, including providing more than $44 million dollars in additional money for special education. The plan also calls for increases of seven and a half million dollars a year for special education through the 2022-2023 school year.Mar 29, 2018, Batesville (IN) Herald: Autism in educationAccording to the Indiana Department of Education, last year, the state identified 15,210 school-age students whose primary disability was autism spectrum disorder; this year, it is 15,721, an increase of 511 or 3.3 percent. "This has been the trend for the last several years," said Pamela Wright, IDOE director of the office of special education. …Mar 29, 2018, Juneau (AK) Empire: School district budget cut another $3.5M—School Board requests more money from city than ever before… One point she presented is that there is a higher-than-normal number of special needs students at the district. Therefore, more money is allocated. According to the?U.S. Department of Education, 13.4 percent of students are identified as children with disabilities in Alaska. The Juneau School District’s number is at 18 percent according to the district’s?website.Mar 29, 2018, Rockland, ME, Courier Publications: RSU 40 budget to tug at taxpayers' consciences, walletsShe said with the rising cost of special education, if the district's budget remains at its current level, even with the funds added back into the budget, she foresees it being unable to serve the increasing population of students in need of special education, especially with the intensity and duration of services some students require.She said the special education population in the district is fluid over the course of the school year, and noted that in one month it climbed from 423 to 430 students identified as being in need of services. She further explained that 10 of those 430 students attend out-of-district placements at a cost ranging from $250 to $360 a day.RSU 40's special needs population is currently at 24 percent. The state average is 15 percent.Mar 28, 2018, Tulsa (OK) World: How bad is mental health in Tulsa? Study portrays 'alarming' statistics but offers hopeGiven that half of all mental illnesses appear by age 14 and three-quarters by age 24, early and effective intervention can have profound lifelong benefits, according to the study.By age 19, 1 in 6 Oklahoma children experience at least four “adverse childhood experiences” such as: witnessing domestic violence, substance abuse or mental illness in the household; loss of a family member due to incarceration, separation or divorce; or being a victim of abuse and neglect.Child maltreatment has risen by almost 30 percent since 1990 in Oklahoma, coinciding with a 131 percent increase in juvenile violent crime arrests in that same period. Of children in the juvenile justice system, 70 percent have mental illness.Mar 28, 2018, Wahoo, NE, Ashland Gazette: Public gives input on school growth options“Currently at least 20 percent of our study body right now is special education,” she said.Mar 28, 2018, North : Verona full-day kindergarten, mental health staff will be on November ballotThe district wants to raise an additional $550,000 annually to expand its mental health programming. …Mar 27, 2018, NBC4, Reno, NV: CDC: 1 in 5 children suffer from a mental health disorderAccording to the Center for Disease Control, up to 1 in 5 children suffer from a mental health disorder. Mental disorders among children are described as serious changes in the way they typically learn, behave or handle their emotions, which causes distress and problems getting through the day.Mar 27, 2018, Falmouth (ME) Forecaster: Under pressure: Mental, emotional support for Portland students largely 'crisis driven' According to School Department records, the city is spending $1.5 million on high school guidance and counseling services in the current fiscal year. That’s over $200,000 more than the district spent in 2016. …Mar 26, 2018, NBC6, Idaho Falls, ID: District 93's Special Education Program Struggles to Keep Up with Growth But since District 93's special education program started five years ago, the program has grown from just over 1,000 students to almost 1,700 students. …An ideal special education classroom holds 10 to 15 students, but elementary schools in District 93 are seeing special education classes in the 20s’ and 30s’….Mar 26, 2018, (New Zealand) Herald: School restraint rules 'undermine adult authority' - Family First New rules that have required schools to report on more than 1000 incidents of physically restraining children since last August are undermining adult authority, the Family First lobby group says.The Ministry of Education has told the group under the Official Information Act that schools reported 1010 incidents in the first six months after?the new restraint rules came into force on August 15.Mar 26, 2018, (Ireland) Independent: ?'I can't keep my child locked away at home' - Boy (5) with autism has no school place for September"There are now over 1,300 special classes in mainstream schools, compared to 548 in 2011. 1,048 are special classes catering for students diagnosed with ASD, up from 330 in 2011." …Mar 26, 2018, Glenwood (MN) Tribune: Local schools continue to improve security With $15.9 million proposed to enhance safety for students, teachers, parents and staff, and an additional $5 million for school-based grants that would, “provide mental health services to students who need added support,” the proposal is aimed at reducing the amount of school shootings in Minnesota for the future.Mar 26, 2018, Energy Institute of Alabama—Yellow Hammer News: Alabama mental health commissioner calls to tackle issues in schoolsOne in five U.S. children experience a mental, emotional or behavioral disorder, the American Institutes for Research reported. Mentally ill children often drop out of school and end up in the juvenile justice system, according to the National Center for Mental Health and Juvenile Justice.Mar 26, 2018, Toronto Sun: Wynne Liberals promise $300M funding boost for?special?needs education Ontario’s Liberal government is promising to spend more than $300 million over three years to improve supports for children with special needs and hire more teachers, a pledge that comes just months ahead of the spring election.….Wynne has made several major funding promises over the last week, vowing to expand the government’s free pharmacare program to cover seniors and to spend $2.1 billion over the next four years to rebuild Ontario’s mental health system, which includes funding for 180 mental health workers in schools.Mar 26, 2018, (UK) Huffington Post: With We Need To Understand Why So Many Children Are Unhappy—such a rapid rise in demand for mental health services, it’s urgent we understand the causes of poor mental health There’s been a dramatic increase in self-harm – 19,000 children were admitted to hospital last year after hurting themselves, a 14% rise over three years. More and more young people tell us they feel anxious, depressed and have low self-esteem. It’s thought that as many as one in ten children has a diagnosable mental health condition and referrals to specialist treatment have gone up 44% in the last three years. …Mar 24, 2018, Duluth News Tribune: Who should pay? Districts advocate for changes in how special education expenses are coveredNearly a quarter of Edison's special education students spend 60 percent or more of their day within a special education setting, which costs more money. About 17 percent of Duluth's students are in that category.Mar 24, 2018, Waterbury (CT) Citizen’s News: Budget proposal keeps school spending flat … Though spending is projected to be flat and contractual costs are rising, student enrollment in the district continues to trend downward. Enrollment dropped 13.4 percent over the last eight years to 2,177 students as of Oct. 1, 2017. The number of special education students, however, has gone up 11.7 percent over that same time.Overall enrollment is projected to drop to 2,150 students in 2018-19….Mar 24, 2018, Jeffersonville (IN) News and Tribune: Autism in education: Mom still pushing for General Assembly's attentionAccording to the Indiana Department of Education, last year, the state identified 15,210 school-age students whose primary disability was autism spectrum disorder; this year, it is 15,721, an increase of 511 or 3.3 percent. "Mar 24, 2018, Warwick Valley (NY) Dispatch: Warwick School District Gives Fourth Budget Presentation The significant increases come from a $244,876 increase in Special Education and related services and $44,096 increase in technology costs, as well as other factors.Mar 23, 2018, Evanston (IL) Now: Goren: Harsh political climate spills over into schoolsEvanston/Skokie District 65 Superintendent Paul Goren says the current political environment is partly to blame for a near doubling of suspensions this school year.District 65 administrators say suspensions through December?reached?80, compared to 42 in the same period last year.?Mar 22, 2018, Raleigh (NC) News &Observer: N.C.'s school safety panel makes a good startJim Deni, immediate past president of the N.C. School Psychology Association, told the committee that there are “significant mental health issues in schools,” but school funding is inadequate to provide enough school psychologists. He said 20 percent of student have mental health or substance abuse issues, but there is not enough staff to identify or respond to all students in such circumstances. …Mar 22, 2018, (Canada) Hamilton (Ontario) Spectrum: Violence on rise in local schoolsTeachers, educational assistants, administrators, academics, parents and students agree there’s a growing problem with school violence but they don’t agree on what to do about it …There are about 12,000 students receiving special-education services in the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board, which accounts for about 26 per cent of total enrolment. …In 2016-17, there were 2,764 reports involving all staff compared to 1,570 in 2014-15 in the Hamilton public board. Halton's public board, which has more students than Hamilton's displays a similar trend with 3,218 reports in 2016-17 compared to 2,120 in 2014-15.These figures don't include student-on-student violence. …Mar 21, 2018, New Canaan (CT) Advertiser: Council signals no more reductions to school budget increase nowOther topics explored included the self-funded food service program; the costs of school bus contracts plus drivers and vehicles for special education students; potential heating fuel savings from natural gas; and the rising costs of special education overall. The district-wide special education program is now more costly than the entire high school budget, according to Councilman Steve Karl.Mar 20, 2018, NBC, Charlotte, NC: Union County Schools raising its focus on students' mental healthHoulihan told NBC Charlotte, hiring more counselors and mental health therapists for all schools is his number-one focus for the 2018-2019 school year budget.Mar 19, 2018, Attleboro (MA) Sun Chronicle: As enrollment declines, Norton selectmen consider school closure“These are really young children. We shouldn’t compromise their well-being” for nominal cost savings, school committee member Carolyn Gallagher said. “I’m very concerned with developmental needs of children and the growth of social and emotional issues and increased special needs. All that is clearly different than in 2002.” …School officials emphasized special education and health insurance costs continue to spike as do charter school student charges. …While the school district has 29 fewer teachers than several years ago, the special education staff has had to increase by 17, Baeta said. …Mar 18, 2018, The CT Mirror: How Safe Are CT Students at School?The overall number of violent incidents reported in Connecticut public schools has?remained pretty stagnant,?but this has happened as?enrollment?has steadily declined – by 3.5 percent since Sandy Hook. …At the same time, however, some kinds of incidents related to aggressive behavior have increased.For example, there has been a steady increase in incidents of fighting at school — about 1,800 more since 2010-11. That’s a 12 percent increase. Physical and verbal confrontations also have increased. …Mar 17, 2018, (Australia) Perth Now: Teachers under attack from students in WA school classroomsPhysical attacks by students against teachers surged to nearly 600 last year, prompting veteran South West educator Bill Kilner to describe teachers at low socio-economic schools as student “punching bags”. …About 2000 public school staff in WA undergo restraint and de-escalation training each year, learning self-defence moves and how to restrain violent and aggressive students as a safe last resort. …Mar 17, 2018, (UK) Scotsman: Low level disruption – the new ‘norm’ blighting our schoolsFigures from the Scottish Government in December revealed that 26.6 per cent of pupils have additional support needs, ranging from dyslexia, ADHD, and autism to behavioural and emotional problems. …Mar 16, 2018, Des Moines (IA) Register: Landon: Bill requires emergency plans for Iowa schoolsThe House passed Senate File 2113 this week which requires all licensed school staff to go through annual suicide prevention and adverse childhood experience training.? This will help teachers and school administrators identify potential problems or signs that may lead to a student hurting themselves or others. …Mar 16, 2018, Bowling Green (KY) Daily News: Schools move ahead with mental health effortsGenerally, the approach teaches educators to ask troubled students “What’s happened to you?” instead of “What’s wrong with you?”As many as 59 percent of Kentuckians have faced at least one adverse childhood experience, according to the Kentucky Department of Health’s Division of Maternal and Child Health.Mar 15, 2018, KALB—TV, Alexandria, LA: Approved La bill allows for use of physical force against bullyingMilkovich said that over 14 percent of high school students have thought about suicide and that students were more likely to commit suicide if bullied in the past. …Mar 15, 2018, NBC7, San Diego: Threats by Students Against Local Schools Are Increasing "Terrorist threats" made by San Diego County students against their schools greatly increased in the 2016-17 school year, with 110 students expelled, suspended or otherwise disciplined for that dangerous and disruptive behavior….Mar 15, 2018, NBC5, St. Louis: Missouri bill would require minimum safety measures at schools ?A new bill in the Missouri House would require more safety measures at school.House Bill 2567 would establish a School Safety Task Force, which would study school-based mental health services, mental health staffing, school discipline and intervention and interagency collaboration.Mar 15, 2018, WBUR Boston: New Depression Screening For Teens Could Reduce The Stigma Of Mental Illness When I read that the American Academy of Pediatrics has called for?universal screening for depression for children 12 and up, it seemed exceedingly welcome and pragmatic news, given the prevalence of teenage depression. After all, 20 percent of teens reportedly encounter depression. …Mar 15, 2018, Warrenton (VA) Prince William Times: School board adds $3.5 million to bolster school security, hire 15 more social workers, counselors The Prince William County School Board will spend more than $2 million in the coming months to better secure school buildings and hire more social workers and guidance counselors to help struggling students, …Mar 15, 2018, Norfolk, Virginian—Pilot: CHKD seeks state approval for a $50 million mental health facilityThree to five children a day arrive in the hospital’s emergency room in need of a mental health evaluation, a number that has increased by 40 percent during the past four years, according to CHKD. …The expanded mental health program would employ about 250 health care providers and support staff, and treat children 2 to 18 years of age. …National statistics are showing that 1-in-5 children need mental health services.Mar 15, 2018, (Ireland) Cork, Breaking News: Some children waiting 18 months for a mental health assessmentThe HSE has revealed that the overstretched mental health services saw 995 young people last year.However, there were 747 more on the waiting list in the region as of February 28, with 120 of these waiting more than 18 months for an appointment. …Mar 15, 2018, Garden City, NY, Long Island Herald: ‘Violence is not a healthy response’—School districts seek to provide students with positive messagesProblems start early. Expulsions in pre-kindergarten are almost twice as common — 89 percent higher — when children don’t have regular access to a psychiatrist or psychologist. Being at risk for mental health problems in first grade leads to a 5 percent drop in academic performance in just two years.Students in special education are at high risk. Nationally, more than 77,000 receive suspensions or expulsions for more than 10 days in a year, including children with autism, anxiety and learning disorders.Mar 14, 2018, (Canada) Ontario : School violence: Is it impacting your child's ability to learn?Witnessing violent incidents in the classroom could be having a negative impact your child’s education. …In 2013-14 school year, 194 incidents were reported in York Region District School Board’s elementary schools, by the end of this school year, the ETFO York expects to have more than 1,000 incidents reported, nearly double what was reported last year.Mar 14, 2018, (UK) : Survey of school nurses underscores dire need to develop more feasible food allergy policiesAnnals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, also underscore the dire need for these policies, with over one-third of the school nurses reporting at least one severe allergic reaction to food at their school in the last academic year…Food allergy occurs in up to 8 percent of children in the U.S., and up to two students in every classroom may be affected. …Mar 12, 2018, Stoneham (MA) Patch: Mental Wellness For Stoneham Youth A Letter to the Editor from Cory Mashburn, candidate for Stoneham School Committee:"According to the World Health Organization, mental disorders are the single most common cause of disability in young people. In the United States, approximately 15–20% of children and adolescents are suffering from some form of mental disorder. Furthermore, 70% of mental disorders onset prior to age 25, making the adolescent years a critical window in which mental health can be promoted and mental health problems can be addressed. …Mar 12, 2018, : New Jersey grapples with solutions to soaring special-education costsSchool districts spend on average about 22 percent of their budgets on special education, Donahue said — up from 13 percent in 2006-07, according to an association survey of business administrators. …… Special-education rates in districts vary from as low as 8 percent to higher than 25, Considine said. …Mar 11, 2018, Martinsburg (WV) Journal: Helping youth with mental health is critical Up to one in five kids in the U.S. show signs or symptoms of a mental health disorder in a given year, according to reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. …Up until 2013, no such statistics on the prevalence of mental health issues in children existed. On May 16, 2013, a CDC report was released that described, for the first time, federal activities that tracked U.S. children’s mental disorders.Mar 10, 2018, Martinsburg (WV) Journal: Mental health awareness effort hits area schoolsUp to one in five kids living in the U.S. shows signs or symptoms of a mental health disorder in a given year, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. So, in a classroom of 25 students, five of them may be struggling with the same issues many adults face, from depression to anxiety.Mar 10, 2018, Baltimore Sun: School counselors may be the best defense against school shootings To add to this dilemma, the National Institute of Mental Health has recently reported that about 20 percent of our nation’s teen-agers either have or have had a seriously debilitating mental disorder.Mar 9, 2018, Chicago Tribune: In wake of Florida shooting, suburban counselors see increased need for mental health services at schools"The demand for mental health services at schools has increased dramatically," said Steve Hunter, Amita's director of professional education, pointing to an increase in medical referrals from area schools.The behavioral health hospital's psychologists receive referrals for eight to 10 students a day in need of mental health services from officials at schools across Chicago and the suburbs, Hunter said.Mar 9, 2018, (East Hampton, NY) Southampton Press: ESM Will Slash Teaching Staff, Potentially Close One School Building By 2021 To Bridge Funding GapThat would total $4,774,756 in cuts, closing the gap between the district’s expenditures and revenues. Mr. Laube said on Thursday that the reason for the latest increase is an unexpected $400,000 increase in special education costs, …Mar 8, 2018, New Haven (CT) Register: Derby’s schools chief proposes $18.9M budget; special ed drives costs… The proposal is $590,000, or 3.2 percent, higher than the current $18.4 million budget. Rising special education costs along with contractual obligations are the driving forces behind the increase, according to school Business Manager Mark Izzo. …… Educating just one student outside of Derby’s school walls can cost $80,000 to $100,000 in tuition, Izzo noted.“Sixty-seven percent of the increase is for special education costs. ... It drives the budget,” Izzo said.Mar 7, 2018, (UK) Spalding Today: Bourne special school set for growth under SEND plansWilloughby backs changes to special education provision in Lincolnshire 0 HAVE YOUR SAY Bourne’s Willoughby School could see its pupil numbers grow by more than 50 per cent if plans to reform special needs education across Lincolnshire go ahead. James Husband, head teacher at Willoughby School which currently caters for children aged two to 19 with moderate to severe learning difficulties, has backed a new model for special education unveiled by Lincolnshire County Council. … Mr Husbands said: “I am delighted that Willoughby School is included as part of this SEND strategy as demand for special school places in Bourne and Lincolnshire is extremely high. …Mr Husbands revealed that “significant capital investment” at Willoughby School would result in “additional classrooms and specialist facilities built to meet the growing demand for special school places”. …Mar 7, 2018, Concord (NH) Monitor: Dunbarton school district to ask for facilities upgrade and budget increaseThe operating budget is up by $378,000 for a total of $6.9 million, with increases in special education and tuition to Bow, where Dunbarton sends its middle and high school students.Mar 7, 2018, Keene (NH) Sentinel Source: Marlborough School District budget leads to discussion about special-education costs, state fundingVoters at the Marlborough School District’s annual meeting Tuesday night approved a $6.1 million budget anticipated to spike taxes by 20 percent….The $282,291 budget increase is driven largely by rising special-education costs, according to?budget numbers released by the school board.Mar 7, 2018, Burlington, VT, CBS3: Cabot 1 of 5 Vt. towns to reject school budgetsThe budget was up $337,000 from the current year but 40 percent of that came from mandated special education costs.Mar 7, 2018, Ridgefield (CT) Press: Special education: The cost increase that’s tough to cutRising relentlessly, special education costs aren’t easily held down — never mind cut — as more students qualify for placement meetings, spend their school days assisted by full-time paraprofessionals, are sent to costly out-of-district programs. Often, special education dollars go to address “social and emotional” difficulties — as opposed to learning disabilities or intellectual limitations. …Enrollment is anticipated to fall 74 students, from 4,912 this year to 4,838 in 2018-19.Of the proposed $3,922,000 spending increase, $752,000 is for special education. …Mar 7, 2018, Panama City Beach, FL, NBC7: Bay District Schools leaders directing focus on mental healthStudents' mental health is also under discussion.Bill Husfelt, Superintendent of Bay District Schools, has said mental health is a priority for school officials and teachers.He recommended increasing the number of mental health specialists for schools. …A local medical professional said she is seeing an increase in mental health incidents. Despite people believing it's simply because people are becoming more aware of mental health concerns, that is not the case.She said it is a true increase.Mar 7, 2018, Salt Lake City Deseret News: Nearly half of children have damaging childhood experiences. Here's how to help your childNearly half of America's children live through adverse childhood experiences that can leave them vulnerable to ongoing and future challenges, sometimes severe, according to a new report that documents not just potential harm, but uneven impact based on race and state.Mar 3, 2018, Mankato (MN) Free Press: Dayton proposes $21M school safety, mental health investment Gov. Mark Dayton wants lawmakers to grant $21 million to schools in Minnesota to improve school safety infrastructure and add more mental health services.Mar 7, 2018, (Ireland) Irish News: Pupils design colourful book to help fight stressGlenveagh School provides education for eight to 19, with severe learning difficulties. Enrolment has remained steady and the pupils who attend have increasing complex medical, mental health and learning needs. There are sensory classrooms with pupils who require high levels of support to meet their additional medical and social and emotional needs.Mar 6, 2018, News4, Jacksonville, FL: Duval County schools welcome state's focus on mental healthImproving mental health programs for teenagers is one aspect of Florida Senate Bill 7026, a sweeping, $500 million?school safety bill that passed the state?Senate on Monday and is now being debated in the House…. The mental health components of the bill include:$69 million for mental health assistance$18.3 million for mobile crisis teams and? $500,000 for mental health first aid training …Mar 6, 2018, Kearney, NE, ABC—TV: Hastings Public Schools staying proactive in tackling mental health issues"Right now, statistically researchers have found that about one in every four students has some kind of mental health issue," Kautz said.Mar 5, 2018, Charlotte, NC, WSOC—TV: 9 investigates special-needs students getting suspended at higher ratesThey’re some of the most vulnerable students in the classroom, but a sobering school discipline report showed that students with special needs are far more likely to be disciplined than others.Almost 1 out of 4 students suspended last school year had some kind of special need.Mar 5, 2018, Washington Post: What’s wrong, and how do we help? Getting children the right mental-health support One in every?5 young people between the ages of 13 and 18 live with a mental-health condition —Mar 5, 2018, Perham (MN) Focus: Perham School Board supports resolution for fully funding special educationState special education funding has not been able to keep pace with the rising cost of mandated services. According to the resolution, the cross-subsidy for school districts for FY2016 is $679 million, a 5.6 percent increase from FY2015. Between rising need and lack of state and federal aid, the costs for school districts will average $815 per student in FY2017.Mar 4, 2018, Minneapolis, MN, Minnesota Daily: More UMN students seeking mental health services Experts attribute the jump to increased openness about mental health and awareness of services on campus. As more students seek these services nationwide, some colleges have adapted their programming to keep up with the growing demand. …For the last several years, demand for mental health services on campus has increased. Boynton’s Mental Health Clinic has seen a 20 percent increase in visitation numbers this year compared to last year at this time, Christenson said.Mar 4, 2018, Education Week: No Place for Social-Emotional Learning In Schools? Are You Sure?Let's begin with some staggering statistics from the American Psychiatric Association, National Institute of Mental Health, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.1 in 4 people are diagnosed with mental illness over the course of a year in the U.S.Half of all chronic mental health conditions begin by age 14.Half of all lifetime cases of anxiety disorders begin as early as age 8.More than 60 percent of young adults with a mental illness were unable to complete high schoolYoung people ages 16-24 with mental illness are four times less likely to be involved in gainful activities, like employment, college or trade school.Those with a psychiatric disability are three times more likely to be involved in criminal justice activities.Each year, 157,000 children and young adults, ages 10-24, are treated at emergency departments for self-inflicted injuries.One in 12 high school students have attempted suicide. …Mar 4, 2018, (Canada) Squamish (BC) Chief: Family faces long waits to get help for son with autismThe B.C. government gives families of children under six up to $22,000 a year to pay for autism-related therapies, including a one-to-one support worker while the child is at daycare.“The problem is the wait-list is over a year,” Tobias said. …Andrew Pinfold, Autism B.C.’s director of operations, said waiting six months to a year to get help for their children, especially in the crucial formative years, is difficult for parents.Mar 3, 2018, PBS News Hour: Opinion: Schools shouldn’t wait for red flags to address student mental health needs One out of every 4 or 5.?That’s how many students?will display a significant mental health problem over the course of their lifetime. …Toward universal screeningCurrently,?less than 15 percent?of schools engage in some form of behavioral or mental health screening. However, more schools are adopting universal screening.Mar 3, 2018, Plano, TX, Lakeshore Times: Garland school board receives proposal to enhance special education, dyslexia programsThe number of students identified with dyslexia in GISD has increased from 56 in 2011 to 586 students in 2018.Mar 1, 2018, Santa Barbara (CA) Pacific Standard: The Trauma of Coercion: Disabled elementary students and ‘isolation boxes’—There have been a flurry of cases involving isolation boxes over the last six years. In 2012, parents at Longview's Mint Valley Elementary School in Washington state were?scandalized by the alleged use of?a padded cell. In 2014, schools in the Mansfield Independent School District in the Dallas-Fort Worth area were found to?place students in windowless, concrete?"recovery rooms" around 800 times over the course of the 2013–14 school year; their stays in the cells sometimes spanned hours, even an entire school day. Special education students, it was noted, were often singled out for confinement in recovery rooms.?In 2016, parents in Kansas were?enraged after a fourth-grader was kept in one such box as punishment for being disruptive in class.Mar 1, 2018, Salem (OR) Statesman Journal: Student mental health crisis spurs Oregon to try in-school programsSevere depression and anxiety, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder are some of?the increasingly prevalent and least-understood mental health disorders among K-12 students.About one in five — 20 percent — youth nationwide?are affected by some type of mental disorder to such an extent they have difficulty functioning, according to the?National Institute of Mental Health.Salem-Keizer Public School’s?rate is even higher — closer to one in four of the district's nearly 42,000. …Students respond to?mental health?crises differently. But Moore has seen?attacks involving punching, hitting, kicking and spitting on a regular basis.Some have destroyed property or choked peers and staff.?Moore said about 5 percent, or 2,000 students, in the district engage in that extreme?behavior…“We have seen a huge increase in the number of serious mental health issues that we are not equipped (to handle),” said Donna Burnett, a counselor at Crossler.?…When Burnett started as a school counselor 20 years ago, she would file one or two suicide assessments a year. In the last few years, she's filed two or three a week.Feb 25, 2018, Bridgewater, MA, Wicked Local: 6 Brockton schools reported over 6 students restrainedTwo city middle schools, two elementary schools and two special-needs programs saw the highest rates in the district of students having to be restrained by staff in the last school year, according to state data.The since-shuttered Goddard Alternative School, an early childhood special education program whose students were moved last year to the Huntington School building, saw 11 students – 22 percent of the school’s total enrollment – restrained at least once, according to the data, which was released by the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in response to public records requests from The Enterprise and the Associated Press.The Gilmore Elementary School’s Early Childhood Center, which has been relocated to the Barrett Russell School building and children with and without disabilities, according to the district website, saw the next highest rate with nine students, or 3 percent of the center’s 288-student population, experiencing a restraint.The West Middle School had 10 students restrained, while eight North Middle School students were restrained. That’s about 1.5 percent of the total enrollment at both schools. The Arnone Elementary School saw nine student restraints – about 1 percent of the population – while the George School had six, representing less than 1 percent of its total enrollment.The Goddard, Gilmore and George Schools were the only schools to report injuries to students or staff during restraints – each saw three. …Statewide, public school officials reported having to physically restrain students more than 9,000 times last year, sparking outcry from some advocates who say the practice is dangerous, overused and underreported.Still, Brockton’s school fared far better than most school statewide – some logged more than 200. …Feb 23, 2018, North Andover (MA) Eagle—Tribune: 9,070 student restraint cases statewide 'extremely disturbing,' says group that probed Haverhill complaints Public school officials in Massachusetts say they had to physically restrain students more than 9,000 times during the 2016-2017 academic year. …The data shows that across Massachusetts in the 20126-2017 school year, the 9,070 restraint cases led to 244 injuries to students or staff. …Feb 22, 2018, Annapolis Patch: School Board Adds Teachers, Boosts Employee PayThrough a series of amendments, the Board boosted the number of classroom teachers to reduce class sizes and the number of additional special education teaching positions. It also added to the number of requested school counselors, school psychologists, and social worker to address the social and emotional needs of students.Feb 22, 2018, Chalkbeat, Memphis: Looking for the ‘why’ behind student suspensions, Memphis schools turn to behavior specialists — again … Shelby County Schools hired 19 behavior specialists for the 2017-18 school year.Shaw and Spikner are among 19 behavior specialists hired this year by Shelby County Schools to serve nearly all of its 145 schools. By giving students individual attention, they seek to pinpoint the root cause of misbehavior and then work with those students to make better choices. The goal is to help avoid school suspensions, as well as to acclimate suspended students back to school. … Feb 20, 2018, (UK) Manchester Evening News: Secondary school expulsions up by more than 40pc in a year - and the city's rate is twice national averageThe number of children permanently excluded in the year to June rocketed 43pc - more than half of them pupils with special educational needs. …In 2015/16 they jumped, before soaring again the next year from 76 to 109, a rise of 43.4pc. The city’s permanent exclusion rate is now twice the national average, although numbers have also been rising across the country as a whole. The most common reason for expulsion was persistent disruptive behaviour, followed by physical assaults on adults.Of those expelled, more than half - 56pc - had special educational needs and more than 80pc were boys.Feb 19, 2018, Columbus (OH) Dispatch: Akron school superintendent seeks top job in ColumbusOn Feb. 12, hundreds of Akron teachers picketed a school board meeting, holding signs and chanting for safer schools. Twenty-two teachers have filed grievances this school year about the way the district has handled verbal and physical assaults by students. …“Instead of taking a no-tolerance approach, why don’t we try to get to the bottom of some of these situations?” James said. Inner-city kids who get into trouble often come from very difficult home situations, and often have special needs or an undiagnosed mental illness, he said.Before the Feb. 12 rally, he said, the district sat down with teachers’ union members and agreed to modify discipline practices and to provide more special-education staff members.Feb 18, 2018,Wakefield, RI, Narragansett Times: School committee passes $61 million budgetAlso added into the budget from the list of additional support items was the cost for a family community engagement teacher, the cost for a social emotional learning teacher, …Feb 18, 2018, Ann Arbor, MI, MLive: Students with history of suspensions discuss school-to-prison pipelineAnn Arbor Public Schools was one of 12 Michigan school districts?cited in 2017 by the Michigan Department of Education?for suspending a disproportionately high number of special education students of a certain demographic.?Feb 17, 2018, Red Wing (MN) Post Bulletin: Lawmakers head back to work after listening to local officialsIn Red Wing, 18 percent of the district's students are classified as special needs, higher than the state average.Feb 17, 2018, Buckhannon (WV) Inter—Mountain: Youth experiences make a differenceIn West Virginia, 52.4 percent of children under 18 had experienced ACE events in 2016, and 26 percent had two or more ACE events. In the USA 46.3 percent had one ACE event, and 21 percent had more than one ACE. …Feb 16, 2018, 2018, (UK) Daily Mail: Councils pay out more than ?600,000 to assaulted teachers in two years as staff are attacked with chairs and have doors kicked atMore?than ?600,000 was paid out in compensation in the last two years to schoolteachers who were injured by violent students.Feb 14, 2018, (UK) Fife Today: Call for permanent school counsellor at Fife academy“Teachers are ill equipped to deal with it and some of these kids have complex needs which manifest as extreme levels of behaviour and disruption. “ … Head of education Shelagh McLean explained how Fife Council was working to support the wellbeing of young people, saying: “We’ve increased investment supporting emotional wellbeing in schools from ?90,000 each year to ?270,000 this session, demonstrating our real commitment to this vi tal provision. …Feb 13, 2018, (UK) Tes: Trainee teachers unable to spot signs of mental ill-health in pupils Jonathan Glazzard, professor of education and mental health specialist at Leeds Beckett University, surveyed 300 British teachers about the mental health?problems faced by their pupils.He found that almost 60 per cent of trainee teachers did not feel confident about identifying mental health needs in pupils. And 70 per cent did not feel equipped to support pupils with such needs.Nearly three quarters – 73 per cent – did not believe that mental health was given sufficient priority during initial teacher training courses. …It has been estimated that 10 per cent of school pupils have a diagnosable mental illness. According to NHS figures, around one in 10 girls aged 16 or 17 was referred to specialist mental health services in England last year.Feb 13, 2018, (UK) Sheffield Telegraph: Telegraph roundtable: "More must be done to promote the early signs of mental health"The city is leading the way nationally its Sheffield Healthy Minds framework, which is being rolled out to all schools across the city. The programme has seen mental health champions recruited in 10 primary and secondary schools to help to tackle stress-related illnesses such as depression, eating disorders and self-harm among pupils.Feb 13, 2018, (South Africa) Independent: Children as young as 6 turning to suicide, says SADAG Chambers said that while there was no real spike or pattern in suicides, they noted a number of cases late last year that involved children.“If you think of a class with 30 or 40 learners, one in four is a high number in such a small group. In 10 days we had a six-year- old and that is the youngest we know of, we also had a 9-year-old and also a 12-year-old commit suicide. For us that is very alarming and very high.“We need to create awareness now we see we need to focus on children, and parents must know about it and cannot assume that because they are children they can't be depressed.”…Chambers said depression affected children from all walks of life.Feb 13, 2018, (Ireland) Dundalk Democrat: Ardee school set to be 17 times bigger than current site…The Department of Education approved plans for a new school building as far back as 2012. 144 pupils on site, seven more than last year, are spread out amongst five mainstream classes and two autism classes. All but around 20 pupils are being taught in prefabs, which have been added as the need has arisen over the years.That necessity has increased steadily in that time.Feb 12, 2018, Press of Atlantic City: Commercial Township dog goes for gold at Westminster dog show Students will get to watch their school’s therapy dog as he goes for gold Tuesday at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. …The presence of a therapy dog helps students who are in need of positive rewards, such as students with behavioral conditions or autism, he said. The district’s special education percentage is 27 percent, while the state’s average is 16 percent.Feb 12, 2018, (UK) Lincolnshire Today: ?150,000 allocated to support children with SEND Eleven schools in North Lincolnshire are set to benefit from funding to support children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).North Lincolnshire Council has allocated ?150,000 for all mainstream schools and academies across the area.Feb 11, 2018, Gainesville (GA) Times: On-site mental health services at schools showing promise… “School-based mental health programs promote access to mental health services, increase early identification of mental health needs and provide coordinated interventions for children in need of behavioral health services.” …The proposed state budget for the 2019 fiscal year includes about $4.3 million under the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities to sustain and grow the program. ? …Feb 11, 2018, (UK) The Isle of Thanet News: Children’s Mental Health Week: How one Thanet counsellor uses ‘Sunbeams’ to help youngsters explore feelingsMental wellbeing in children and teenagers24% of girls (or 1 in 4) and 9% of boys the same age are reportedly clinically depressed by the time they reach 14.?Their symptoms include feeling miserable, tired and lonely and hating themselves.??(Government-funded study by lead authored by Dr Praveetha Patala)Children as young as three are self-harming – biting, scratching, punching, slapping themselves or rubbing their skin with a rubber are examples of self-harm among primary age children, report?Tappy Twins.?At least 500 primary school children have reported to?Tappy Twinsthat they self harm and the organisation has waiting lists full of four to 11 year olds.In 2016/17, 107 children aged 3-9 were admitted to hospital for self harm with admissions for this age group increasing by 27% in the five years leading up to 2017.Feb 11, 2018, WDAY—TV, Fargo, ND: South side growth requires new look at Fargo school enrollment The early childhood special education program, located at Agassiz School and Madison Elementary School, must deal with an increase in children ages 3 through 5 who are diagnosed with special needs.Feb 10, 2018, Charleston (WV) Gazette—Mail: Traumatic childhood events common in WV, report saysThe report also includes findings from the 2016 National Survey of Children’s Health, which found that 52.4 percent of children under age 18 in West Virginia have had at least one adverse childhood experience, compared to a national average of 46.3 percent. It also found that 26 percent of West Virginia children have had two or more ACEs, compared to a national average of 21.7 percent of children.Feb 10, 2018, (UK) Redditch Standard: Help available for Worcestershire youngsters during Children's Mental Health Awareness Week It is estimated one in ten young people is living with a diagnosable mental health issue and since the service began in 2017 the Reach4Wellbeing Team have seen around 300 people in the county. …Feb 10, 2018, (UK) Ekklesia: London Schools 'struggle to know what type of mental health support is needed for pupils'Almost half (45 per cent) of school leaders have found it difficult to commission mental health support for their pupils, and over a third (34 per cent) of counsellors and psychotherapists who work with children and young people said it was difficult to provide their services to schools. Catherine Roche, Chief Executive of Place2Be said, “School leaders are already under immense pressure to deliver academic progress – and we shouldn’t expect them to become mental health experts as well.. … Prof Sarah Niblock, Chief Executive of the UK Council for Psychotherapy, said, “Urgent steps must be taken to bridge this gap given that 50 per cent of mental health problems in adults are established by 14 and 75 per cent by 24. We need a senior professional therapist in every school, able to carry out individual assessments of clinical need, and to develop and oversee an organisation-wide culture capable of supporting children’s and adults’, including teachers and parents’ emotional and mental health – individually, in groups, families, classes and whole-school.” Feb 9, 2018, ABC5, Cleveland, OH: 22 Akron teachers assaulted by students are upset with how district is handling… Rawling is one of 22 Akron teachers or counselors who has filed grievances this school year over the way the district has handled disciplinary action for students who committed physical or verbal assaults….Shipe said the physical and verbal assaults are not limited to high schools. Some of the grievances relate to cases in the middle and elementary schools.Feb 9, 2018, (UK) BT: Nearly half of school leaders struggle to commission mental health services Hundreds of school leaders say they have had difficulties commissioning mental health services for pupils, according to a survey published by children’s charity Place2Be.The research showed that while 84% of secondary schools and 56% of primary schools offered some form of counselling services for students, almost half said that a lack of local services and knowing what support is appropriate hindered their provision of support. …Feb 9, 2018, DelawareOnline: Lawmakers want answers on special education growthLawmakers tasked with crafting the state budget are seeking more detail about why the number of Delaware's special education students is growing so quickly.The state's special education student population has grown by 22 percent over the last five years to about 21,550 students – nearly four times the growth rate of the overall student population.Non-special education student enrollment grew by 240 as of September of this year. Meanwhile, Delaware schools recorded 930 additional special education students. …Feb 9, 2018, Delmarva, DE Public Radio: More Funds Requested for Delaware's Special Needs StudentsDelaware education officials are asking lawmakers for more than $52 million in additional spending next year, citing the need for more teachers to address skyrocketing numbers of students identified as having special needs. …Many of the new positions are aimed at providing for students with special needs. Education officials said that of 1,167 more students noted in enrollment numbers this year, 926 are considered special education students. …Feb 9, 2018, (UK) Tes: Four-in-10 heads struggle to know which mental health support to provide pupilsMore than a third of counsellors and psychotherapists have also found it difficult to provide their services to schoolsMore than four-in-10 school leaders struggle to know what type of?mental health?support is needed for their pupils, a survey has found.The poll also revealed?that more than a third of counsellors and psychotherapists report difficulty in providing their services to schools.Feb 8, 2018, : After allergic reaction, Carlstadt Public School bans classroom snacks… nearly?one in 13 children have food allergies. The figures came about from a 2009-2010 survey of more than?38,000 children, which found 5.9 million children have food allergies.Statistics show?that food allergies in children are on the rise, and school districts nationwide have been responding with new ways to accommodate their students. …Nationwide, food allergies among children increased almost 50 percent between 1997 and 2011, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. …Feb 8, 2018, VT Digger: Lawmakers tackle childhood trauma effectsThe concept is not new. A?landmark 1998 study?from the Centers for Disease Control and Kaiser Permanente found that nearly two-thirds of more than 17,000 participants reported at least one adverse childhood experience such as abuse or neglect. More than 20 percent reported three or more such experiences.The study found that, as the number of adverse childhood experiences increases, so does the risk of a wide variety of issues including addiction, disease, depression, suicide attempts, intimate partner violence, poor work performance and poor academic performance. …Rep. Kate Webb, D-Shelburne, said the impact of adverse childhood experiences on Vermont’s schools is clear. About 17 to 18 percent of children receiving special education have an emotional disturbance, and “that’s three times the national average,” Webb said.Feb 8, 2018, NBC6, Corpus Christi, TX: Special Report: More kids diagnosed with mental illnessAccording to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 20 percent of children ages 13-18 have/will have a serious mental illness. Researchers say that number is eight times greater than it was decades ago.?Feb 8, 2018, WXXI NPR Rochester, NY: Local educators discuss building resiliency for youth successAccording to the report, 64 percent of local youth have experienced trauma. …And 40 percent have experienced two or more traumatic experiences.?…Feb 8, 2018, NBC4, Columbus, OH: Therapy dog in-training helps relieve anxiety for Granville middle school studentsStudent stress levels are on the rise in Granville Schools and the district is trying out a very fluffy solution to help reduce anxiety.... More than 75% of students at Granville Middle School describe their stress level as “very high.” That’s up 9% from the previous school year….Feb 8, 2018, (UK) Scotsman: Tom Peterkin: SNP school shake up should be given chance to workThe number of ASN [additional support needs] pupils in Scotland now stands at 183,491 – 26.6 per cent of the school population and an increase of more than 55 per cent since 2012.?… Teachers are stressed. Children without ASN suffer as staff struggle to cope with the more disruptive element. Worst of all the ASN children lose out because they do not receive the specialist help they require to thrive. …Feb 8, 2018, (UK) Yorkshire, Hull Daily Mail: School exam pressure is 'breaking' children, says Hull MPAccording to experts, one in 10 young people are said to display symptoms of?mental health issues. …The Government is pouring ?95 million into training 8,000 more mental health specialists to ensure there is support in every school in the country to deal with the rise in mental health diagnoses.Feb 8, 2018, Leesburg, VA, Loudoun Now: Supervisors Get Update on Schools’ Mental Health TeamsHe gave the report to the Joint Board of Supervisors/School Board Committee meeting Wednesday. He told the supervisors and School Board members that one-fifth of Loudoun County students have a mental health condition and more than half of them never receive treatment. “So by de facto, schools often become the support for these students,” he said. “That’s why it’s important for us to be prepared to acknowledge the social and emotional needs of our students.”One of those is the creation of mental health teams, made up of psychologists, social workers, school counselors, and student assistance specialists. Right now, 10 out of the county’s 15 high schools and two of the 16 middle schools have mental health teams, and the goal is to have them in every secondary school by next year. …During the meeting, Superintendent Eric Williams also gave the supervisors—who determine the tax rate each year—a heads up that he and the School Board are asking for more money to expand the mental health teams into every one of the middle schools. The School Board’s budget dedicates $3.2 million to hire a total of 17 more school counselors, seven more social workers, and seven more psychologists. …Feb 8, 2018, La Crosse, WI, WXOW—TV: Copy-Lanesboro Public Schools receives grant to implement a curriculum for social emotional learningLanesboro Public Schools has received?a grant of?$8,838?dollars to implement a curriculum for social emotional learning?for kids in daycare through kindergarten and beyond. …Social emotional learning focuses on making sure young kids are ready to socialize with the their peers, are ready for team work and are able to control their emotions if they get upset.Superintendent Matt Schultz said?a program like this is important because if children cannot?self regulate or control their emotions, it becomes difficult for them to focus on academics and learn.Feb 8, 2018, UK HuffPost: Government Announces ?5 Million For Mental Health First Aid In Schools—Campaigners say it's nowhere near enoughJeremy Hunt has announced a new ?5 million programme to train primary school staff in mental health first aid.? ?It will help teachers spot the early signs of mental illness in young children and follows a similar scheme introduced in high schools last summer. …But critics say the amount pledged is a drop in the ocean, equating to just??297.87 per primary school and ?1.06 per pupil when spread across all schools. …“Services are at capacity,” she added.“Teachers and schools have a vital role to play when it comes to children’s mental health, however we desperately need properly funded health and social care services if we’re going to see real change.Feb 8, 2018, Barton (VT) Chronicle: Vermont teachers say they feel ‘attacked’ by policymakers Vermont has seen a significant increase in the number of students identified as having an?emotional disability— at nearly 18 percent, it is the highest in?the?country.Feb 6, 2018, (UK) Schools Week: Zero-tolerance behaviour policies exclude more vulnerable children, MPs toldThere has been a?steady increase in permanent exclusions over the past two years, and the?Institute for Public Policy Research warned that?at least half of all permanently excluded pupils had a mental illness, with the actual figure “more likely to be 100 per cent” of those excluded. … Feb 6, 2018, Reading (PA) Eagle: Is a too-clean childhood behind spike in allergies?According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of children with food allergies increased by 50 percent between 1997 and 2011. The CDC also states that peanut and tree nut allergies tripled in children from the U.S. between 1997 and 2008.These numbers are staggering.However, with the advancement of today's science and medicine, some people question if food allergies were just as prevalent in earlier times, and people just weren't aware of it. …Feb 5, 2018, Local Wicked Wareham (MA): District wants to reduce number of out-of-district students Many students in Wareham are on buses headed out of district and out of town every day during the school year, many of them to address specific learning issues.The district wants to bring as many as possible back home to Wareham schools. …With town officials openly stating in December that they could not afford any increase in the school district budget - a total proposed budget of $29.4 million for the upcoming school year - and with a steadily declining student enrollment since 2008 – down to around 2,300 students for 2018 as opposed to more than 3,000 in 2008, it may seem like a tough marketing campaign to get students back to the school district.“Our student enrollment is decreasing, this we know, but our special education student enrollment is not decreasing,” said MacMillan.Feb 5, 2018, Sullivan (MO) Independent News: District Needs Additional?Special Education TeacherThe students have needs that go beyond just reading, writing and math. Thompson said special education teachers must address issues that extend to their home lives.“We’re having to be moms, dads, caretakers, counselors and therapists for our kids,” she said.Before the next school year, Thompson wants to look at a better way to distribute the students. In the second grade alone, there are 18 special needs students for one stand alone teacher and three referrals in the works. “It keeps going on and on,” she said. “Next year we have to look at how we divide up children to do what’s best.”Feb 5, 2018, (Canada) Manitoba, The Brandon Sun: Demand for mental health support services spikes at BU Brandon University has seen a tenfold increase over the past decade in the number of students seeking support services for mental health.Feb 5, 2018, Erie, PA, Your Erie: General McLane teachers participate in mental health training For the first time ever, the entire staff of General McLane High School participates in a mental health training.Local behavior and psychology expert Kimberly Morrow spent the morning with more than 200 teachers and staff members from the district.? Training them on dealing with students who have anxiety, OCD, and other mental health issues.Feb 5, 2018, (UK) HuffPost: Children's Mental Health Week: What's Needed To Improve CAMHS In The UK, According To ParentsRoughly three children in every classroom?have a diagnosable mental health disorder and almost one in four children and young people show some evidence of mental ill health.?…Feb 4, 2018, VT Digger: Struggling Vermont students could be better served for less, studies sayThe group studied educational practices in ten Vermont supervisory unions, and found that nearly 40 percent of all elementary students are struggling to read, and their teachers feel “ill-equipped” to help them. …The report also referred to the growing need for experts in behavioral management, as more and more students come to school suffering from trauma, and with social and emotional challenges.Feb 4, 2018, Arizona, East Valley Tribune: Bill would require mandatory training for suicide prevention“I am a teacher as well as being Mitch Warnock’s mom,” she said. “What troubles me beyond belief is that in my 26 years of educating students, I have never been trained in identifying students at risk for depression, self harm or suicide. …“Guidance counselors tell me that 10 years ago, 90 percent of the issues they saw involved traditional advising, schedules and such and only 10 percent involved social or emotional issues,” Bowie said, adding:“Now, that’s reversed and 90 percent of what they see are students with emotional and social problems.”Feb 4, 2018, Joplin (MO) Globe: Becky Brannock: School counselors meet multiple needs of studentsThe number of students who enter school with mental health diagnoses is continuing to rise. It is not uncommon for up to 20 percent of our student population to be diagnosed with a mental health disorder, and many of those are not receiving treatment (Center for Disease Control and Prevention). School counselors have an ethical obligation to the students they serve to provide them with the very best services possible. …Feb 3, 2018, (UK) Scotsman: Insight: Scottish classrooms are in chaosAs austerity bites, one of the areas the teaching profession is becoming increasingly concerned about is the integration of youngsters with additional support needs (ASN) into mainstream classrooms in primary and secondary schools, and the knock-on problems created. These are pupils with a range of difficulties ranging from dyslexia, autism, ADHD and disability to those with behavioural and emotional problems and challenging family circumstances. The number of pupils in Scotland identified as having ASN has rocketed to its highest ever level, while the number of specialist support teachers has dropped. Scottish Government statistics released in December 2017 show 183,491 pupils were identified as having ASN – 26.6 per cent of the school population. This is also an increase of over 55 per cent since 2012.?Feb 3, 2018, Old Greenwich, CT, Greenwich Time: Greenwich special education over budgetGreenwich Public Schools special education costs have skyrocketed this year, and are nearly $1 million over budget, according to district financial reports, due to numerous settlements and tuition for student placements at institutions outside the district.The school district budgeted $22.5 million for special education costs this academic year, or 14.5 percent of its $153 million 2017-18 operating budget. That amount is already almost $2 million more than what was spent on special education in 2016-17, according to district budget documents.Feb 2, 2018, : Almost 2,000 children in Paterson owed speech therapy sessionsChronic problems plaguing Paterson’s special education program have left almost 2,000 children waiting for overdue speech therapy services, the school district has disclosed…Paterson has 1,960 students in grades pre-k through 12 who are owed a total 18,799 hours of therapy, according to information the district provided to Paterson Press on Thursday. The children affected by the backlog represent about 45 percent of the total number of special education students in the district….Special education advocates expressed shock at the number of children affect by the problem. They said they thought it was several hundred, not almost 2,000. …The already?cash-strapped district could end up spending more than $1.4 million to cover the overdue therapy sessions.Feb 2, 2018, KTIC Savannh, GA: This teen's struggle with depression led her and brother to create APP to help othersAmong adolescents, an estimated 49.5 percent between the ages 13 to 18 have a mental disorder, according to NIMH. …Feb 2, 2018, Education Week: In Miami, Disruptive Students Are Handcuffed, Ordered to Undergo Psych ExamsKevin knew what “Baker Act” meant. Two years earlier, during another meltdown, teachers at his old school had invoked the Florida law, which instructs police to take people who appear to be mentally ill and pose a danger to themselves or others for an involuntary psychiatric exam. On that occasion, Kevin’s parents had shown up just in time, before police could handcuff him.“Please, please don’t call Baker Act, don’t call Baker Act,” Kevin begged his teachers at Gulfstream Elementary….“In Florida, the definition of mental illness is very clearly defined to exclude developmental disabilities and anti-social behavior. A child having a tantrum, a teenager having a meltdown, some drama, that’s anti-social behavior,” said Diane Stein, president of the Citizens Commission on Human Rights of Florida, a mental health watchdog group….A Growing ProblemState data show that a growing number of children are getting Baker Acted. A state task force convened last year to study the issue reported that the number of cases rose nearly 50 percent between Fiscal Year 2010-11 and Fiscal Year 2015-16, while the state’s population increased by less than 6 percent over the same period.Between July 2015 and July 2016 alone, more than 32,000 involuntary psychiatric exams were conducted on Florida children, according to data from the Baker Act Reporting Center at the University of South Florida. …Of the roughly 2,300 exams conducted on children in Miami-Dade during Fiscal Year 2015-16, roughly 700 were initiated at a public, private or charter school, the center’s data show. That’s an average of more than three times every school day. In another 667 cases involving children, however, no location was reported. …Parents and activists say they have reason to worry about a school’s motivations for Baker Acting children. A?2012 Miami Herald investigation?found that the number of Baker Act exams initiated in Miami-Dade public schools had almost doubled over five years, while the number of crime incidents and juvenile arrests fell. Meanwhile, school district and county officials had received complaints that schools police felt pressured to Baker Act misbehaving students. …For the child at Coral Way K-8 Center, last Thursday’s incident was the second time he had been handcuffed and taken for an involuntary psychiatric exam in two months.Feb 2, 2018, Yahoo News Canada: Disabled by anxiety: Accommodations on the rise for students at Manitoba post-secondary schools A growing number of students are receiving accommodations for mental health disabilities and learning disabilities during tests and exams,?data from the three largest post-secondary institutions in Winnipeg say.Between 2012 and 2017, the University of Winnipeg had a 70 per cent increase in the number of accommodated exams or tests, while Red River College had a 28 per cent increase, says data provided to Radio-Canada.The most recent data available for the University of Manitoba says between 2011 and 2016, 24 per cent more tests and exams required adjustments for a student's disability.More time, a quiet?space?to work and extra time between exams or tests are some of the?common?accommodations.Patrick No?l, an assistant professor of history at Université de Saint-Boniface,?said since he started teaching in 2012 he's?seen a jump?every year in the number of students who need special arrangements to write exams.Data from Université de Saint-Boniface say the number of students with disabilities at the school doubled between 2012 and 2017.Feb 1, 2018, Portsmouth, NH, Foster’s Daily Democrat: Rochester schools face likely $1.2M budget shortfall The School Department is looking at a potential budget deficit of more than $1.2 million because of several factors, including an influx of special education students with out-of-district school placements. …Should special education costs increase further this year, Hopkins cautioned it could lead to some tough cuts or choices — not only in the current school year, but also in the 2018-19 school year and its budget.Feb 1, 2018, Manchester (NH) Union Leader: Newport School District proposes budget increases The school district is proposing a significant budget hike, mostly due to the increase in special education costs, according to Superintendent Cindy Gallagher. …The proposed operating budget for 2018-19 is $18,641,564, a $930,320 increase from the current spending plan of $17,711,238.?…The annual school district warrant includes 11 additional articles, five of which have tax impacts, including Warrant Article 8, which requests the district raise and appropriate $233,000 for an autism program in the Middle High School.Feb 1, 2018, Leesburg VA, Loudoun Now: School Board’s Adopted Budget Would Achieve Universal Full-Day KindergartenThe School Board left intact $3.2 million that Williams recommended to expand mental health services for middle school students through support teams made up of school counselors (17 additional would be hired), social workers (seven additional) and psychologists (seven additional). Last year, the board created and staffed mental health teams at each of the high schools, when Loudoun saw an increase in suicides among teens.Feb 1, 2018, Voice of San Diego: Special Education Costs Are Rising, But Money From State and Feds Isn't—Skyrocketing Special Ed Costs Join Pensions as District Budget Busters Add special education costs to the list of things crippling California school district finances.State and federal funds for students with disabilities aren’t keeping up with districts’ increased special education costs, leading districts to put increasing amounts of their general fund towards those services.At San Diego Unified, the amount of local funds contributed to special education increased nearly 65 percent between the 2012-2013 school year and the 2016-2017 year. San Marcos Unified’s local revenue contribution during that time has increased by 67.5 percent.Oceanside Unified said its special education expenditures are rising at the same rate as pensions and healthcare costs. That increase is happening at a rate of about $5 million per year.Those skyrocketing costs mirror a trend around the state. In the 2005-2006 academic year, California schools reported special education expenditures of roughly $8.5 billion. In 2015-16 that had grown to about $13.2 billion. That’s a 55 percent increase in 10 years.Both the number of students with disabilities and the average cost per special education student have been rising….Finally, both the number of students with disabilities and the number of students with more severe disabilities has been on the rise.While general enrollment at most districts in the state has been declining, the number of students with disabilities has increased statewide by roughly eight percent between the 2005-06 academic year and 2015-16, Anderson said….More severe disabilities that districts are seeing more frequently, like autism, often require additional one-on-one aids, occupational therapists and other specialized positions. Anderson said statewide there has been increased employment in these types of jobs at school districts by about 20 percent between 2005-06 and 2015-16. …Feb 1, 2018, (UK) Bournemouth Buzz: Small Victory for Dorset Amidst the Youth Mental Health Crisis In the past 25 years, national rates of mental health disorders in young people have?risen by 70%?, with anxiety and depression seeing the largest spike. Psychiatrists and medics alike are dubbing it the ‘youth mental health crisis’ and so far, unfortunately, there seems to be no end in sight.Whichever way you look at it, the state of young people’s mental health today is dire to say the least. More young people below the age of 25 are complaining of and being diagnosed with low mood, depression and anxiety than ever before. Reports of children as young as four suffering from anxiety and panic attacks are becoming far more prevalent.?Data from the?National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers?(NASUWT) revealed that a worrying 18% of primary school teachers surveyed have come into contact with a child below the age of seven with a mental health disorder.Feb 1, 2018, Chicago Tribune: Community groups vow to help resolve anxiety epidemic in wake of Naperville student stress surveyNow that they know what is causing kids to be stressed, local organizations are vowing to find ways to solve the anxiety epidemic afflicting Naperville school students.….Survey results showed that?seven of 10 seventh-graders and nearly eight in 10 high school sophomores say they experience moderate or high levels of daily stress. About half of both groups say the stress makes it difficult to perform daily tasks because they're overwhelmed by anxiety and they lack focus and the ability to concentrate.Feb 1, 2018, (Australia) Brisbane Courier Mail: Parents need to stop being ruled by their kids UNRULY classrooms are not the fault of teachers, but of mums and dads who couldn’t pass Parenting 101 if they tried.Bad behaviour — kicking, screaming, punching and worse — begins somewhere and it’s not at school….Another OECD report, in 2017, found one-third of students in advantaged schools and about half in disadvantage schools said that in most or every class there was noise and disorder, students didn’t listen to what the teacher said, and students found it difficult to learn.Philip Riley, from the Australian Catholic University, runs the Principal Health and Wellbeing survey. He says anti-social behaviour is “ubiquitous”, getting worse every year and cultural change is urgently needed. …Feb 1, 2018, Chicago Sun Times: Why cases of ADHD in young women are?skyrocketing The number of young, adult women medicated for ADHD has skyrocketed over the last decade – jumping by 344 percent, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention….The percentage of young women who filled at least one prescription for ADHD medication climbed from just under 1 percent of the population in 2003 to 4 percent in 2015, according to the report, which looked at women ages 15-44 with private insurance.Feb 1, 2018, (Jacksonville) Florida Times—Union: New Clay school program aimed at-risk students“These are students who exhibited undesired behaviors academically, attendance wise, and behaviorally,” Davis said. “Students will learn how to overcome academic anxieties, behavior issues, anger management, bullying, chemical dependence while learning how to foster positive relationships with peers, teachers, parents, and the entire community.”“In this school district alone, we will be adding seven motivational coaches ...” Avael said. The student and his/her family are consulted, and must consent to participate in the program, he said. …Clay County has one of the highest rate increases — 38 percent — in the region for children who were Baker-Acted within a five-year span, according to a Florida Department of Children and Families report last year. The Baker Act is a law allowing the involuntary or emergency commitment of a person for psychiatric evaluation by the state. …Nationwide, six out of 10 youth aren’t getting the support they need regarding mental, behavioral and emotional health issues. In Florida, many of those youth are held under the Baker Act, data show.Feb 1, 2018, Somerset, England, Somerset Live: Bridgwater's Westover Green School opens new autism centre following multi-million investment A?Bridgwater?school has officially opened a new ?700,000 autism centre to serve the local area.The 14-place facility centre at Westover Green School has a sensory room, calm room, kitchen area, outdoor play area and two classrooms.Feb 1, 2018, UK Huffington: We Must Ensure Autistic Children Are No Longer Held BackBut many parents have to fight to get the support their child is entitled to. 50 per cent of children on the autism spectrum have to wait more than a year for the help they need at school. 42 per cent of children are refused an assessment by their local authority of their education, health and care needs the first time this is requested. 40 per cent of parents say their child’s school place does not fully meet their needs. …Feb 1, 2018, (UK) Blackpool Gazette: More than one primary school child a week referred to mental health services in BlackpoolPrimary schools in Blackpool are referring children to mental health specialists at a rate of more than one a week, it can be revealed. The Victoria Hospital’s Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) team was called in to help 72 children aged 11 or under last year, up from 53 the year before. …In 2016, former Hodgson Academy headteacher Toni Roethling said: “We are getting primary school children coming to us with severe problems.”Jan 31, 2018, Jacksonville, FL, WJXT: Clay County introducing program to give at-risk students additional supportIn 2015, more than 350 kids in Clay County were hospitalized with an involuntary psychiatric evaluation -- a nearly 40 percent jump over the past five years. …Jan 31, 2018, News104.5, Jacksonville, FL: Clay County?Schools announces new partnership to bring motivational coaches to all junior high schools"We recognize that 1 in 5 children in the United States will have a mental health disorder diagnosed to them at any given year.Jan 31 2018, New Milford (CT) Spectrum: Special education costs rise for many Danbury-area districts Across the Danbury area, special education costs are rising as more students with disabilities are sent out of their home districts to get the services they need. …Although officials caution that there is no data to suggest a trend or give specific reasons, some school superintendents said the rise in outplacements may be connected to better identification of children who need those services….Rebecca Adams, a senior staff attorney for the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education, said special education costs in general are continuously rising across the state. But she has not noted a statewide trend in the past 15 years of more students needing to be placed out of their home districts. …Jan 30, 2018, Seacoast, Portsmouth, NH: BudCom supportive of school spending plan Although members of the Budget Committee expressed concern about the proposed 6.7 percent increase in the Fiscal Year 2019 municipal budget, members at a recent meeting expressed overall satisfaction with the school budget -- which as proposed is up 4.7 percent despite a nearly 27 percent hike in special education.Jan 30, 2018, (Canada) CBC: How WRDSB uses special teams and safety plans to stop student violence Waterloo District School Board (WRDSB) is working to ensure there are special teams to work with staff and students with behavioural challenges….Last school year there were approximately 1,300 incidents involving elementary student-on-teacher violence in WRDSB schools, up from around 900 the previous year.? …Jan 30, 2018, (Australia): Education Minister Susan Close reveals $57m cost of program to help students with special needsSOUTH Australian public school students with special needs will get extra support through a package of measures Education Minister Susan Close has revealed will cost $57 million.PUBLIC school students with special needs will get extra support through a package of measures the State Government has revealed will cost $57 million.The initiatives will help 27,000 over the next five years. …Dr Close said students would also benefit from already-announced initiatives, including:154 extra special options placements in preschools and schools where there is the most need.200 special options places in two new schools to be built in Adelaide’s north and south.16 child wellbeing practitioners.10 speech pathologists.Trauma training for teachers in every school.Jan 30, 2018, (UK) Telegraph and Argus: Consultation into creation of 160 extra special educational needs places beginsBradford Council has started a consultation over plans that would see 160 extra places for pupils with special educational needs created at local schools.In total, 10 schools around the district will be expanded to either create a new specialist provision or expand the existing numbers of places.If the plans go ahead, 126 full-time places and 34 part-time places will be created at nurseries, primary schools and specialist schools by mid April.The number of Bradford children who have been diagnosed with having special educational needs and disabilities has been rising in recent years, partly due to faster diagnosis of young people with conditions like autism….Chellow Heights Special School in?Heaton?will increase the number of places from 200 to 248 and Delius Special School in?Barkerend?will increase spaces from 124 to 148.Oastler Special School in Bowling will increase spaces from 80 to 94. …These proposed new places will be followed by two purpose built free schools built within the Bradford district in the next few years. One free school is expected to open in the south of the district and one in the north. Both will have around 170 pupils. Jan 29, 2018, New London (CT) Day: East Lyme school board adopts superintendent’s budget The Board of Education voted unanimously?Monday to adopt the superintendent’s?proposed 2018-19?budget?of $47.7 million, or 2.59 percent more than this year’s spending plan. …Newton presented data that showed that last year, there were more than 30 mental health/crisis intervention occurrences at East Lyme High School and about 27 at East Lyme Middle School. Based on the number to date, the school district projects there will be?a "significant increase" in?interventions this year.Jan 29, 2018, (Australia) Yahoo News: Kids as young as five struggling with anxiety, teachers warn Western Australia will see 120 new full-time teachers hired to help with growing concerns of mental health issues among students as young as five…."We're seeing it in pre-primary children - kids turning five, six," Bramfield Park Primary School Principal Jayne Murray said.Jan 29, 2018, Buffalo WBFO 88.7: Many Buffalo teachers say students are 'out of control' The head of Buffalo's teachers union says results of a study on student behavior study are "disturbing" and "distressing."?? WBFO's senior reporter Eileen Buckley reports on the survey results and has reaction from the district.??Buffalo Teachers Federation president Phil Rumore said more than 1,200 city school teachers responded to the survey. According to its results, 13.6% say student behavior is "out of control" and 17.5% of teachers said behavior is "almost out of control."?Jan 29, 2018, Osseo (MN) Sun Focus: Heights’ pre-K programming expands to meet demand“As we’ve seen an increase in early childhood enrollment, we’ve also seen an increase in our referrals for special education from birth through age 5 by 20 percent when we compare numbers from this year to last year,” she said. “Of those referrals we’ve received, about 90 percent of those students qualify for special education. So we are truly collaborating and providing early intervention services, which we know is best practice.”Jan 28, 2018, Meriden (CT) Journal Record: New Wallingford program aims to help K-2 students with mental health issues The school district will start a new program next month for children in grades K-2 with severe social and emotional needs.?…“We have so many students that have either experienced trauma or?have experienced emotional issues?that they’re coming to us with, and we have to help them,”?Menzo told the board.? “They’re not (able) to learn without having this support.” …For many years, the district has offered a similar program for children?in grades 3-5. But school officials said they’ve seen an increasing need at the K-2 level“The needs have previously been able to be met within our K-2 buildings,” Menzo said, “but I think the needs have just reached a level where...?it’s best to provide an alternative setting.” …Menzo also included three new psychologist/social worker positions in his 2018-19 budget proposal. Those mental health professionals will work in elementary schools helping students that are not in the new program, Menzo said.??…Klimaszewski said it’s hard to pinpoint a reason for the rise?in K-2 students with severe social and emotional needs.Jan 28, 2018, Framingham (MA) Daily News: Hudson schools facing $1.4M shortfall, but hopeful savings will close the gapOther increases include district-wide hiring of part and full-time staff to comply with specialized services identified in students’ Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and three English Language Learner teachers. …The overall student population has declined from 2,845 in fiscal 2012 to 2,607 in 2018.“Although the district has experienced a decline in student enrollment in the aggregate, the cost of services and programs associated with high needs sub-group populations (students with disabilities, English learners, economic disadvantaged) continue to rise,” Rodrigues wrote. …Jan 28, 2018, (UK) Dumbarton and Vale of Leven Reporter: Mental health association calls on government to mark Year of Young People SCOTTISH Association for Mental Health has called on the Scottish Government to mark the Year of Young People by creating a programme to train all school staff in mental health.A survey of more than 3,000 school staff respondents in Scotland found more than two-thirds of teachers do not feel they have received sufficient training in mental health to allow them to carry out their role properly – and only a third of school staff say their school has an effective way of responding to pupils experiencing mental health problems. …Jan 27, 2018, Andover (MA) Townsman: Cut in state funds for special education leaves Andover schools $171,000 short"It's really not a cut," explained state Sen. Barbara L'Italien, D-Andover. According to L'Italien, the state had budgeted 4.5 percent growth in claims for the special education Circuit Breaker. It came in at 8 percent, almost double what was anticipated, and therefore the percentage the state could cover dropped to 65 percent rather than the intended 75 percent.Jan 27, 2018, Massillon (OH) Independent: The Rev. Frank Park, campus pastor, said the program came to fruition after a question during a staff meeting A local church is taking on the tough topic of suicide in hopes of equipping and helping families that may be struggling with the issue….Five Perry Local students have died this school year, incidents investigators described as suicide. …Growing problem …According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide rates doubled for girls ages 15 to 19 between 2007 and 2015, and increased by 30 percent for boys in the same demographic. …Jan 27, 2018, (Guam) Pacific Daily News: Board to submit $334.7M proposed budget for Guam DOE in 2019 Public schools will need?$334.7 million next fiscal year in order to fully comply with the law requiring an adequate public education, the Guam Education Board said?Friday night, as it voted to approve the budget request for next fiscal year. …It also includes?$2.6 million to cover additional personnel required by the new collective bargaining agreement with the teachers' union; and $1.4 million for 40 more special education one-to-one aides.Jan 27, 2018, Danbury (CT) News Times: Special education costs rise for many Danbury-area districts Across the Danbury area, special education costs are rising as more students with disabilities are sent out of their home districts to get the services they need….Although officials caution that there is no data to suggest a trend or give specific reasons, some school superintendents said the rise in outplacements may be connected to better identification of children who need those services.Recently, superintendents in Brookfield, New Milford, New Fairfield, Redding and Ridgefield have all asked for higher special education budgets for the 2018-19 school year.Brookfield and Ridgefield are also struggling to find ways to fund the current school year’s special education services. Both districts hope to get special appropriations to cover their budget overruns. …Rebecca Adams, a senior staff attorney for the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education, said special education costs in general are continuously rising across the state. But she has not noted a statewide trend in the past 15 years of more students needing to be placed out of their home districts. …Brookfield Superintendent John Barile said the rise in students sent out of the district could be a combination of increased needs in children and better identification.Jan 26, 2018, Fox News, Bismarck, ND: Autistic students in North Dakota doubles since 2010 The number of autistic students in North Dakota is rapidly increasing, nearly doubling since 2010, causing a greater need for special education.The State Education Funding Committee announced they will be receiving an increase in funding for special education, and it's needed as the number of students diagnosed with autism is rapidly increasing. …In 2010 only about 600 North Dakotan students were diagnosed with autism. Now that number has nearly doubled.Jan 26, 2018, Fort Worth (TX) Star—Telegram: Students are ‘crippled by anxiety’ and ‘crying out for help.’ Educators hear themThe number of children between ages 5 and 17 who were hospitalized for thoughts of suicide or serious self-harm doubled between 2008 and 2015, according to a 2017?report from the American Academy of Pediatrics. …Jan 26, 2018, Fenton, MI, Tri—County Times: School staff seeing alarming behaviors in students as early as elementary level ?“The problems that used to exist primarily at the high school level are now K-12 … we’re seeing behaviors at the elementary level that we didn’t see 20 years ago,” he said. Two examples are more defiance and more drugs.Jan 26, 2018, Little Elm (TX)Journal: Little Elm ISD to hire three special education paraprofessionals In order to meet increasing demands, the Little Elm ISD Board of Trustees approved the hiring of three special education paraprofessionals….The new staff members come with a $90,000 price tag. …Jan 26, 2018, New Bedford, MA, Southcoast Today: Freetown—Lakeville School Committee unveils preliminary budget The number of high needs students such as special education, ELL, and foster care, has risen, making up 29 percent of enrollment. The gap between the budgeted amount and actual dollar amount spent on tuition for special education services reached nearly $500,000…Jan 26, 2018, Fort Atkinson, WI, Daily Jefferson County Union: Fort Atkinson school board hears update on strategic plan’s progress An update on progress made this school year toward meeting the 2017-18 strategic plan goals set in the School District of Fort Atkinson was presented to the board of education Thursday night. …Designated that there are no available special education spaces for the 2018-19 school year for new open-enrollment applicants, and enrollment will be capped. Board President Kim Patrick said the district is “stretched to our limit” with special education students.Jan 25, 2018, Falmouth (ME) Forecaster: South Portland superintendent: Diversity will help schools meet challenges …He said the district’s mission, serving 3,000 students in eight schools, is to work with the community to enrich the lives of all, which is the core of public education. …Special educationKunin said the number of students requiring special education has increased in both need and severity, with 18 percent of students qualifying.He said it’s a trend seen statewide, and in total, Maine is expected?to spend $30 million on special education. Increases are driven by autism and multi-disability, which require additional teaching and medical staff to meet students’ needs.Jan 25, 2018, Delaware News Journal: Bill would expand Delaware Autism Program, provide resources statewidePart of the problem is when the?Delaware Autism Program was created in 1991, there were only 152 students in the entire state diagnosed with the disorder.?Today, there are 2,109, according to?Autism Delaware….Currently, many school districts contract with outside consultants to provide that guidance.?Autism Delaware has estimated districts spent at least $3.1 million?on consulting services "in piecemeal and reactive ways." That includes $1.7 million for out-of-state placements for severely affected students who need specialized care. …Jan 25, 2018, Cathlamet, WA, Wahkiakum County Eagle: School levy elections ahead--Wahkiakum SD seeks continued support Garrett said that the state also funds special education for up to 13 percent at a district, which doesn't cover the enrollment at Wahkiakum, where 20 percent of the population is in special education.Jan 25, 2018, West Lebanon (NH) Valley News: Hartford Opts to Increase Budget Superintendent Tom DeBalsi said that as the district’s student population has shrunk over the last several years, the district has shed more than 20 teachers, to a current teacher workforce of 221, to keep pace.. …… There also are nearly $400,000 in increased special education and psychological services costs.Jan 25, 2018, News—Talk KFIZ, Fond du Lac, WI: FDL School Board Approves Caps For Special Education Enrollment According to Sebert special education students make up about 16 percent of the District’s enrollment or about 1,100 students.?Jan 25, 2018, Falmouth (ME) Forecaster: South Portland superintendent: Diversity will help schools meet challenges Special educationKunin said the number of students requiring special education has increased in both need and severity, with 18 percent of students qualifying.He said it’s a trend seen statewide, and in total, Maine is expected?to spend $30 million on special education. Increases are driven by autism and multi-disability, which require additional teaching and medical staff to meet students’ needs.Jan 25, 2018, Cathlamet, WA, Wahkiakum County Eagle: School levy elections ahead--Wahkiakum SD seeks continued support Garrett said that the state also funds special education for up to 13 percent at a district, which doesn't cover the enrollment at Wahkiakum, where 20 percent of the population is in special education.Jan 25, 2018, West Lebanon (NH) Valley News: Hartford Opts to Increase Budget Superintendent Tom DeBalsi said that as the district’s student population has shrunk over the last several years, the district has shed more than 20 teachers, to a current teacher workforce of 221, to keep pace.. …… There also are nearly $400,000 in increased special education and psychological services costs.Jan 25, 2018, News—Talk KFIZ, Fond du Lac, WI: FDL School Board Approves Caps For Special Education Enrollment According to Sebert special education students make up about 16 percent of the District’s enrollment or about 1,100 students.?Jan 24, 2018, (UK) BBC News: Autism assessment delay concerns across Wales Children in parts of Wales are waiting an average of two years for an autism assessment despite a target of six months, figures have shown. …Jan 24, 2018, (Canada) CBC: Local high school bringing in therapy dogs for students dealing with distress—More than 30% of Ontario high school students in distress More than one-third of Ontario high school students are suffering from a moderate to serious level of psychological distress, according to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, and it's no different for students living in Windsor.Jan 24, 2018, (Canada) CBC: Teachers' union calls for action to address classroom violenceExperiencing or witnessing violence on the job is the reality for many elementary school teachers, according to their union.The Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario says, across the province, 70 per cent of its members have either personally experienced violence or witnessed it on the job. The union surveyed its members last fall. "The rates for kindergarten teachers and our designated early childhood educators is even higher" Barb Blasutti, the ETFO representative for the Rainbow Board in Sudbury.Jan 23, 2018, Bridgeport, CT Post: Asking for more, bracing for less …16 percent are receiving special education services. This year, 29 percent of the district’s general budget is spent on special education.Salary increases and health care costs account for $7.2 million of the projected budget increase. Special education is going up another $1.9 million.?Jan 23, 2018, South Portland (ME) Herald: English language learners, students receiving special education increase in South Portland The number of students who qualify for special education increased again this year, resulting in an overall increase from 533 students (17.2 percent of total enrollment) in 2014 to 549 students (18.4 percent) in 2017.“We saw meaningful increases over the last four years in two particular areas – autism and multiple disabilities – both of which represent students with complex needs and challenges,” Kunin said.In the same period, the number of students who have autism has increased from 68 to 76, and the number who have multiple disabilities increased from 34 to 42. …Reviewing other numbers, Kunin said the district’s overall enrollment dropped by 36 students this year, from 3,031 in 2016-17 to 2,995 in 2017-18. Jan 23, 2018, Waterloo, Ontario, The Record: Alarm grows as more violent and unruly students lash out at teachersReported "incidents of student aggression" have soared more than 50 per cent over two years in local classrooms, the public school board says. This peaked last September when more than 250 incidents were reported. Jan 23, 2018, Muncie (IN) Star Press: Ball State says its charter school track record irrelevant to Muncie school takeover planSpecial education students make up 22 percent of [Muncie Community Schools’]?student body and 14 percent of Burris' student body.Enrollment at Burris is 670, compared to 5,215 at MCS.?Jan 23, 2018, Oregon Public Broadcasting: PPS, Parents At Odds Over Providing Autism Therapy In ClassroomsOregon has more than?9,000 students on the autism spectrum in its public schools, and they represent one of the fastest-growing disability groups in the state. Serving Portland’s roughly 800 students with autism fits a similar pattern for all kids with special needs, according to the PPS?director.Jan 23, 2018, Racine (WI) Journal Times: $30K needed to make accessible playground a reality at WadewitzWadewitz, 2700 Yout St., has a large population of students with orthopedic impairments, including many who use wheelchairs. Of its nearly 600 students, 22 percent have special needs — including autism, physical limitations and intellectual challenges. …Jan 23, 2018, (UK) Metro: Children, 3, found to be self-harming while at?schoolNew figures have revealed that the number of children at nursery and primary schools who are self-harming is rising rapidly. But reports suggest that referrals to mental health professionals – often made by distraught teachers who feel unable to help – are regularly being rejected. The new data from NHS Digital was obtained by the Guardian this week that they say shows in the five years to 2017, hospital admissions for self-harm by children aged three to nine in England increased by 27 percent. Admissions jumped by 13 percent among three to nine year olds between 2016 and 2017 alone, with 107 children admitted to hospital for self-harm…But the survey also found nearly a quarter of teachers did not feel equipped to identify behaviour linked to mental health issues and more than a third felt illprepared to teach children in their class who have mental health needs.Jan 22, 2018, WRAL—TV, Raleigh, NC: Study: Need for school nurses growing in NC, could cost $79M a yearThe need for school nurses is growing due to increased attendance by exceptional children and students with chronic conditions as well as laws and policies expanding the health care responsibilities of schools. …Research from the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services shows the average classroom has:Two students on medicationTwo with asthmaOne with an attention deficit disorderOne with a life-threatening allergyOne student with a less common health condition, such as cancer, a feeding tube or a bleeding issue.During the 2015-16 school year, North Carolina public school nurses had 2,220,622 student encounters. More than 9 percent of the total student population received medication at school, and nurses helped 11,512 students with complex procedures, such as using an insulin pump, feeding tube or catheter. Nurses provided 396,199 counseling sessions to students regarding health, mental health and emotional issues, including screening for suicide risk.Jan 22, 2018, South Bend (IN) Tribune: Facility serving those with autism opens in South BendA new facility serving children with autism and developmental disabilities is opening near downtown South Bend….The company plans to offer a K-12 private school, outpatient therapy, residential care and acute care for children with autism and other developmental disabilities. …The organizers plan to seek state accreditation to open a private, K-12 school this year that would serve up to 100 children with autism or similar disorders and accept state vouchers that would be good toward tuition. Class sizes are expected to be eight to 10 children. Tuition levels have not yet been set.…While there are autism centers and services in this region, there are few residential facilities and often there are waiting lists for autism therapy services, Sargent-Suarez said. …Jan 22, 2018, Meriden (CT) Record Journal: Superintendent proposes 3.48 percent hike in Wallingford education spendingSchool Superintendent Salvatore Menzo proposed a $104 million spending plan for the 2018-19 fiscal year Monday, an increase of $3.5 million from the current year, or 3.48 percent.?The budget proposal includes a “reduction in staff based on enrollment decreases,” but no reduction in programs, said Menzo, who presented his budget to the Board of Education. ?…The biggest cost drivers in the the sustained services budget include increased costs for special education tuition and employee benefits. The budget also adds spending to address? “increased?(social and emotional) needs for students specifically in pre K-5 schools” and?an increase in the number of students enrolled in the special education program. While the district’s total enrollment is projected to drop next school year by 50 students, from 5,858 to 5,808, the number of student enrolled in special education is projected to increase by 100 students, from 729 to 829, Menzo said. The district is also anticipating a reduction in state reimbursement for special education costs next school year.?The strategic plan budget includes spending $204,000 to hire four social workers/psychologists for the elementary schools…Jan 22, 2018, (Canada) CTV Kitchener: WRDSB teachers faced violence 1,300 times last yearStatistics provided by the Waterloo Region District School Board show that there were approximately 1,300 incidents involving student-on-teacher violence in the last school year, up from about 900 the year before.Jan 22, 2018, (Canada) Edmonton Journal: Edmonton schools cope with explosion in number of students on autism spectrumThe number of students on the autism spectrum enrolled in Edmonton Public Schools has exploded during the last decade and a half. Between 2004 and 2017, the number of pupils in Grades 1-12 diagnosed with autism has leapt 6-1/2 times, to 1,344 from 207. Global enrolment in the district grew 23 per cent in that same time period.Historically, Edmonton Catholic Schools hasn’t tallied students with autism, but staff are starting. The number of students enrolled in that district with a severe medical or physical disability, which includes students on the spectrum, grew to 692 this fall from 305 in 2004.Jan 22, 2018, (UK) Croydon Advertiser: These are the schools being built and expanded in Croydon to cope with the demand for placesCurrently, 70 per cent of children over the age of 16 with special needs (SEN) are currently travelling outside of Croydon to receive their education, due to a lack of facilities in the borough, the report said.In order to deal with that lack of facilities, two free SEN schools are set to open in the south of the borough, one with between 120 and 150 places for pupils with autism set to open in 2019, and another for over-19s with profound and multiple learning disabilities. …Jan 22, 2018, Jerusalem Post: Number of children on autistic spectrum has tripled over past decade The number of children on the autistic spectrum has tripled over the past decade and Israel is unprepared to deal with this growing population group, The Israeli Society for Autistic Children (ALUT) said on Monday.According to the organization, one in every 100 babies is diagnosed with autism each year and statistics show that the numbers will only continue to grow. …According to ALUT, there is to date a need for some 25 additional schools dedicated solely for children with special needs to meet the growing demand for educational frameworks.Jan 22, 2018, (UK) Tes: (Scotland) 'Investment in helping teachers to look after their own mental health will only benefit our pupils'A survey run by the?HMC Wellbeing Working Group in 2015?showed, for example, an?85 per cent growth in schools citing pupil depression as a serious concern over the previous five years. … And this whole conglomeration of factors can affect teachers badly: a survey of Scottish state school teachers in 2016 showed that almost?half rated their mental health either "poor" or "very poor".?Indeed, Tes reported on?the alarming number of teachers on long-term stress leave?as recently as January 11. …Jan 22, 2018, : As budget season nears, school districts face formidable foe: Fixed costsSpecial-education costs also are growing in many Pennsylvania districts, along with charter-school payments in some,? …But the added money is a fraction of the $12 million spending increase Scully forecasts in the $243 million budget, driven by costs including a new teachers’ contract,?larger?pension contributions, and growth in special education. Even?if?taxes increase — the board has received exceptions to raise taxes above the state index, to 4.5 percent, largely because of special-education costs — Scully projects a deficit.Jan 21, 2018, Seymour (IN) Tribune: Special needs students increase: Seymour Community Schools seeing growth in funds to provide services The number of students identified with special needs in Seymour Community Schools has grown by 250 students over the past five years.That increase has resulted in nearly $800,000 more in state funding to provide services for students with physical, cognitive and emotional disabilities….The district’s autism numbers increased by five students and have grown by 21 since 2013.Jan 21, 2018, (UK) Sidmouth Herald: Funding secured for young people’s mental health sessions in Ottery Ottery Help Scheme will work in partnership with The Project in Axminster to run weekly sessions for young people aged 13 - 24, who have not been diagnosed or face a wait to see clinical specialists, and their families.With one in 10 children estimated to have diagnosable mental health issues, the charity is working to finance the initiative for a period of three years at a cost of ?25,000 a year.Jan 19, 2018, (UK) Richmond & Twickenham Times: 'Outstanding' Barnes Primary School could permanently expand One of the Richmond's best-performing primary schools could permanently expand to enable a further 30 reception places and new provisions for children with autism and complex learning needs….This would increase the number of classes in reception entry to three each year - up to 90 children if the maximum of 30 are in each class. …The consultation proposes a new ‘specialist resource provision’ for up to 14 children with Education and Health Care Plans who have autistic spectrum disorders and associated complex learning needs.Currently there are over 1,200 children with SEND statements in the borough….“Meeting rising demand for placements for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) is also challenging. …Jan 18, 2018, Charlottesville (VA) Tomorrow: County schools propose $7.6M spending increaseThe funding request also includes $1.16 million to add 11 full-time staff for special education students and several specialists in the division’s English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program.Since 2011, Albemarle County’s special education and ESOL populations have grown by 22.3 percent and 32.9 percent, respectively.??Jan 18, 2018, Falmouth, MA, Mashpee Enterprise: Mashpee School Committee Sees Looming Budget Challenges The Mashpee School Committee reviewed the school district’s Fiscal Year 2019 budget proposal during a public hearing at Quashnet Elementary School Wednesday evening, January 17. …Also included in the budget is an offset of $417,000 in “Circuit Breaker” funds from the state that benefit students who need out-of-district placements for special needs….When asked if the proposal represents a genuinely level-service budget and if the offsets needed are sustainable, Superintendent Patricia M. DeBoer said that the district faces challenges as it moves forward due to a changing population of students who have more complex needs than in past decades.Jan 18, 2018, Sonoma (CA) Index—Tribune: Sonoma Valley Unified School District to cut staff; will save mandated $2.5M “Enrollment has been dropping but expenses have been rising,” Abbott said Tuesday.Expenses have been growing, Abbott said, because staffing is up. He said the majority of the growth in staffing is because of transferring special education programs from the county Office of Education to the district; preschool staffing; teachers on special assignments; and the AVANCE Parent-Child Education program for lower income families.“The district isn’t getting enough money for special education,” he added. But he said school districts across the state don’t receive enough money to fund special education.Jan 18, 2018, Ridgefield (CT) Press: School budget woes: Staff, sports could be chopping blockThe school system has a projected deficit of about $1.2 million for the current year, 2017-18. If it isn’t addressed by?an additional appropriation?— which would mean action by the finance board, and then a town meeting — what steps could school authorities take to right the fiscal ship? …Special education, rising costsThe biggest contributor to the projected deficit is special education. The 2017-18 budget anticipated spending $2,030,000 on tuition for “out of district placements” of 19 students with special needs beyond what the Ridgefield Schools could address in-house. But an additional seven students were placed in out-of-district schools, at a cost of just under $525,000.Jan 18, 2018, (UK) Belfast Telegraph: More than 500 students suspended for attacks on staff in one yearNew figures have shown more than 500 students were suspended in a year for physical attacks on staff. …In total, 571 pupils were suspended for attacking staff.While this was a reduction from the 646 recorded for 2015/16, it was more than double the 213 suspensions recorded for 2014/15. …Out of the total of 4,048 students suspended in the 2016/17 school year, 3,132 of these were male, while 916 were female.Jan 18, 2018, (UK) Belfast Live: School children in Northern Ireland to benefit from mental health programme thanks to ?70k funding boost School children across Northern Ireland are set to benefit from a specialised mental health programme thanks to a ?70,000 funding boost.Danske Bank selected Action Mental Health as its charity partner for 2017 and having raised ?70,000, almost 1500 additional children will now benefit from the programme.‘Healthy Me’ is a health promotion programme for 8-11 year olds that aims to positively promote mental health and social and emotional wellbeing in children. …Jan 17, 2018, Lincoln (RI) Valley Breeze: Proposed Lincoln school budget bumps spending by $3 million Supt. Georgia Fortunato’s proposed operating budget for the 2018-2019 school year calls for a 5.6 percent increase in spending, or an increase of ?$3 million. …According to Fortunato, Lincoln’s student population is changing. Many students are coming to school each day with significant needs in the areas of behavior and communication. The students require additional social and emotional supports, she said.Jan 17, 2018, Norwalk, CT, Stamford Advocate: State, local factors impact proposed Stamford school district budget …Another factor is an increase in special education needs, though that is sustainable. Kim said the district “caught a break” this year in special education. As the number of special education students has increased, out-of-district tuition is substantially down from past years.Jan 17, 2018, (UK) Buckinghamshire Daily Echo: 19 schools across in Dorset struggling to balance their books, figures revealThe number of schools in deficit has also been increasing nationally. The most recent data show nine per cent of all local authority maintained schools ran at a deficit, a figure which has almost doubled from five per cent in 2014-2015. …"There are many reasons why a school may fall into deficit, for example, real-term reductions in per-pupil funding, falling roll numbers, staff sickness or a higher number of pupils with special educational needs or disabilities. …The NAHT also reported that almost three quarters of head teachers believed their school budgets would be ‘untenable’ by 2020.Jan 17, 2018, Canandaigua (NY) Daily Messenger: Local school officials ‘disappointed’ in governor’s proposed budget Projected aid in governor’s proposed budget is considerably lower than what school officials say is necessaryDisappointment is a common theme among local educators responding to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s proposed 2018-19 executive budget, unveiled Tuesday in Albany. …“We expect about $2 million in increased costs outside of our control, more than half of them related to students with special needs moving into our district,” Newton said. …Clingerman said the level of student needs — whether social, emotional or academic — continue to increase.Jan 17, 2018, Wareham (MA) Week: Wareham Public Schools focuses on helping students with emotional disabilities, traumatic history Wareham Public Schools is working to provide more support to students with emotional disabilities, bringing more resources to the table to give them a productive learning environment. …The school has been able to use grant money to provide quality consulting and more Board Certified Behavior Analyst support to the programs in the district in an effort to strengthen all special education programming.Two Board Certified Behavior Analysts already serve Wareham Public Schools and, with grant money, they will each be there two days a week now instead of just one. Fay said the district is also adding a training for paraprofessionals that work in special education programs to make them certified Registered Behavior Technicians.Of students placed in out of district programs, 80 percent of them identified as having an emotional disability. Some of these are due to traumatic events in a student’s past. This is a high number of students with emotional disability compared to other school districts she’s worked in, Fay said. …Jan 17, 2018, Worthington (MN) Globe: Special education, EL strain district’s crowded quarters… This year’s district-wide special education population is a 2 percent increase from last year, she added.“That’s a huge increase because we’re seeing an increase of students on the autism spectrum — and that is happening nationwide — and it’s not the only category that’s growing,” she said. “With that growth, you need classrooms, you need space for the kids and you need sensory areas for the kids to practice their calming techniques.”Stoll said the district has about 52 professional special education staff, related service providers and assessment team members to provide service to its special education population. …Blanchard said 75 percent of her students have attention-focus concerns. They will often answer questions that Neuman asks her students when they’re supposed to be working on reading. …According to seventh-grade significant learning disability instructor Vickie Lord Anderson, distractible special education learning environments are also a reality at the middle school. …A growing special education population has also been the trend for the high school, said Charon Doyscher, WHS special education teacher and team lead. The high school has 18 additional special education students this year than what graduated last year, Doyscher said.Jan 16, 2018, Hagerstown (MD) Herald-Mail: Washington Co. BOE hears concerns about special education during budget hearingState revenue figures expected to be available in the coming days will go a long way in determining how much the school board will need to request from county government above required funding levels to help fill a $5 million gap in its nearly $276 million spending plan. …After Hummel's presentation, four people spoke during a brief public hearing on the budget, including three parents who voiced concerns about special-education resources lagging behind while the number of special-needs students in the county is growing.Jan 16, 2018, LA School Report: LA teachers step up interventions as students’ fears increasingly impede their ability to learn So starting this school year, teachers at 12 of the 14?HYPERLINK ""KIPPcharter schools in Los Angeles have been?getting extra training in how to help their students cope?with trauma. …Jan 15, 2018, Aberdeen (WA) Daily World: Aberdeen schools prepare to upgrade special education offeringsAccording to Robert Gray Elementary Principal Richard Bates, who is on the task force, the interviews found that many believe the district lacks a cohesive system that allows special education and general teachers to know how to handle certain situations. …Currently, about 580 of the district’s 3,500 students have some type of special need, and most are not separated into distinct programs. Each building has a special needs resource room equipped with staff, which students can go to if they’re ever having problems.Jan 13, 2018 (UK) Oxford Mail: Hugless Douglas helps school open much-needed extensionCHILDREN’S author David Melling helped a school in Abingdon celebrate the opening of a new extension which has been built to keep up with increasing demand.The Hugless Douglas illustrator visited the Kingfisher School on Monday along with a life-size version of his famous creation, formally cutting the ribbon for three new classrooms.The Radley Road academy is a special needs school for children and young people aged between two and 19…It already has a special sensory room and swimming pool to provide for the needs of children with complex physical and mental disabilities. …The school also cited increasing demand for special needs education places. Jan 12, 2018, Fenton, MI, Tri County Times: Under new legislation, police can physically restrain students However, a new Michigan law now allows police to physically restrain students when they deem it necessary.?House Bill 5126 amended the 1976 Public Act 451, called the revised school code. While it is still illegal for school personnel to restrain a student, it is lawful for police officers to intervene and restrain a student.?Jan 12, 2018, ChalkBeat: Who supports Indianapolis Public Schools bid for more money? It’s not clear. One referendum would pay for $200 million to improve school buildings, primarily safety updates. A second ballot measure would raise up to $92 million per year for eight years to pay for operating expenses, such as the cost of special education, with about $66 million dedicated to raises for teachers….Without more money from taxpayers, they say they won’t be able to sustain spending on teacher raises and special education services.Jan 11, 2018, (UK) Schools Week: School catering staff feel excluded, undervalued and poorly trained “Every day more children with allergies are coming into school … we are expected to deal with all situations with no training,” said one response.Jan 11, 2018, Bristol (VA) Herald Courier: ?Republican behind student discipline bill takes on criticsThe author of a Republican bill that would allow teachers to demand that violent students be suspended and require administrators to report violent students to the police responded to criticism of the legislation Thursday, saying he thinks school administrators are being too soft on troublemakers…..… He also noted the same survey found 11.3 percent of Wisconsin teachers said they were assaulted that same year, which was the nation's highest rate.Jan 11, 2018, (UK) Yorkshire Telegraph and Argus: Two pupil referral units could soon become special educational needs schools TWO of the district’s pupil referral units could soon be designated as special schools, a committee of head teachers has been told.The Bradford Schools Forum was told that many of the pupils that currently attend Park Primary PRU in?West Bowling?and Ellar Carr PRU in?Thackley had special educational or developmental needs, and that Bradford Council were looking to convert them into official specialist schools by October 2019.The move will be part of a push to create more dedicated places for children with SEND (special educational needs and disabilities) conditions like autism throughout the Bradford district. …During the meeting one head said new places were urgently needed, as there was a rising number of primary school aged children with special educational needs being excluded from schools unable to cope with their needs.Last year Bradford Council announced plans to create around 360 SEND places after existing special school provision was described as being “bursting at the seams.” Since then 220 places have been created in local schools, with that number expected to have risen to 337 by next January. …The 360 places will be followed by two purpose built SEND free schools, with one expected to open in 2020. …… We are also seeing an explosion in the number of exclusions of children with special emotional and mental health needs from primary schools who don’t have the facilities to deal with them.”Jan 10, 2018, Norwalk (CT) News Times: Ridgefield schools may need special appropriation to close deficitThe largest portion of the $1.3 million deficit was caused by unplanned out-of-district placements for special education students, which Baldwin estimated will cost an additional $525,000.…The district also recently had to hire three nurses to assist “medically fragile children,” which has put the Professional Services over budget by $90,000.Jan 10, 2018, (UK) Scotland Tes: Teenagers in Scotland given right to ask for extra support in schoolThe news comes, however,?amid concerns that?spending to support children with additional support needs (ASN) in school has been slashed in recent years, at the same time as numbers are rising.? Statistics from the Scottish?government published last month?show the number of pupils with Additional Support Needs (ASN) is at a record high of 183,491 – an increase of over 55 per cent since 2012. …Jan 10, 2018, (Australia) The Educator: Government earmarks $110M for youth mental health Schools across Australia will soon be able to provide greater support to students after the government earmarked $110 million for youth mental health.Jan 9, 2018, (UK) Bristol Post: Children with special needs or disabilities are being excluded from schools in South Gloucestershire A higher-than-normal proportion of disabled children with special needs are being kicked out of schools in South Gloucestershire, it has been revealed. …There are more than 1,550 children with an Education, Health and Care plan and another 172 young people waiting to be converted. There are also dozens appealing for one. …Families are forced to wait a long time for assessment, and in many cases, are denied an EHC plan, the report found. A “significant proportion” of parents and carers said they were not confident in the local area, and that there were long timescales for statutory assessments to be done. …The “unacceptably long waits” for children with autism were higlighted. Delays stop children from being placed in an appropriate school and cause “unnecessary stress and anxiety”, the inspectors found.Jan 9, 2018, Lincoln (NE) Journal—Star: Public schools groups tout suite of bills promoting early childhood, special educationSen. Lynne Walz of Fremont will introduce a bill to provide mental and behavioral health support to school districts through Nebraska’s 19 Educational Service Units.Jan 8, 2018, Wood TV, Grand Rapids, MI: Growing number of teens diagnosed with anxiety disordersMusser is not alone. She is among the nearly?one in four teenagers who are diagnosed with an anxiety disorder.For Roxanne McCarron, the guidance counselor at Grandville Middle School, this is a rising trend she is seeing.“The changes that I’ve seen in kids’ mental health in the 22 years I’ve been doing it, I see we talk about the anxiety and depression so much more now than they did back when I started,” McCarron said. …Jan 8, 2018, (UK) Guardian: Mental health support in schools: 'Families don’t have to spend years on waiting lists'The scheme, originally piloted last academic year by 10 schools and officially launched in October 2017, aims to tackle poor mental health while bypassing traditional services, which are seeing?rising demand coupled with insufficient capacity.…Statistics show that?one in 10 children has depression, anxiety or another diagnosable mental health problem – so the MindSpace team hope to see the model rolled out nationally.? …Jan 8, 2018, (Australia) ABC News: $100m funding boost for school mental health programs and Headspace centres Young Australians seeking help for depression and anxiety will get further assistance with an injection of more than $100 million into school mental health programs and a range of new Headspace centres. …One in four young people have experienced a mental health issue in the past 12 months — a higher prevalence than all other age groups.Jan 7, 2018, Fort Wayne Journal—Gazette: Become an advocate for hope—By knowing warning signs, you can help reduce rate of teenage suicide One in five Indiana high school students has seriously considered attempting suicide, according to the 2017 KIDS COUNT in Indiana Data Book….According to 10,376 students polled in the Get Schooled Tour, 64 percent of the students said?they sometimes feel depressed (36 percent),? have felt depressed more than average (15 percent) or feel very depressed (13 percent).Jan 6, 2018, Topeka Capital—Times: As kids’ mental health issues increase, local school districts boost responseA group of two dozen elementary- and secondary-level teachers, administrators, counselors, social workers and school psychologists met Nov. 30 at the district offices to discuss drafts of a suicide prevention and intervention plan that would become uniform across the district.Jan 5, 2018, Delray Beach, FL, Boca Newspaper: Improving Our Schools, Roads And Access To Counseling For TeensAt our most recent meeting, the City Council supported a proposal I brought forward to provide Boca High and Spanish River High students with group counseling services from the Faulk Center for Counseling.?Mental health and behavioral issues affect 1 in 5 children and teens, and the lack of counseling resources is one the biggest problems in society, and an issue for educators and Boca families.?Jan 5, 2018, (UK), Holyrood: Mental health of more than half of young Scots impacted by loneliness, finds poll More than half of Scots aged between 18 and 24 experience mental-ill health from loneliness and social isolation, new research has shown.Jan 5, 2018, (UK) Tes: Exclusive: Law flouted as pupils forced to wait more than a year for SEND support Around 1,000 pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)?have had to wait?over a year for the specialist support plans?to which they?are legally entitled,?a Tes investigation reveals…. If the same pattern was reflected in the remaining authorities across the country, the total number of children who waited longer than a year would be 1,238 in 2016 – the most recent year for which figures are available….Councils say:?SEND resources are already stretched. The delays are also being blamed on?a shortage of therapists to carry out the assessments, and the growing number of tribunal appeals against draft plans. …Jan 4, 2018, Waitsfield (VT) Valley Reporter: ?HUUSD central office budget down Special education costs are anticipated to increase from $163,821.20 to $169,456.53. Salaries for those who administer special education in the district will increase from $103,327.97 to $108,483.18. …Jan 4, 2018, Danbury (CT) Newstimes: Brookfield school board grapples with proposed 6.4 percent budget increase The majority of the 6.4 percent increase stems from the cost of maintaining services and a hike in special education costs. … About $1.1 million of the increase would go toward providing services for the additional special-needs students placed out of the district. Meanwhile, $923,000 would cover the cost of contractual obligations and continuing existing programs. …Jan 4, 2018, (UK) Plymouth Herald: Parents' anger as school announces total ban on NUTSThe prevalence of peanut allergy has doubled over the last decade. Around 2-3 per cent of young children are now peanut allergic.Jan 4, 2018, (Canada) Estevan (SK) Mercury: Cornerstone board learns more about student supportsIn studying the data in the Our School report, the division says it is aware that it has students with moderate to high levels of anxiety, as reported by approximately 25 per cent of students in grades 4-12. …Jan 4, 2018, (UK) Cornwall Live: Penryn Primary Academy has been told by Ofsted to improve in every area—The report said it requires improvement in all areas from behaviour and attendance to its teachingThe school has above the national average number of children with special educational needs (SEN) and disabilities and has a new SEN leader who, the report recognised, was beginning to tackle weaknesses. …Jan 4, 2018, Durham (NC) Herald-Sun: Assaults on teachers up in Durham schools. See what else is driving suspensions Assaults on teachers and other school workers jumped 56 percent in Durham Public Schools last school year, according to the district.The preliminary data shows there were 61 assaults on school personnel last school year, 22 more than the 39 reported during the 2015-16 school year. …Overall, DPS saw a 17 percent increase of reportable offenses during the 2016-17 school year. …Jan 3, 2018, (NJ) Jersey Shore: Barnegat’s Collins School Adds Special Needs Class At a recent Barnegat Board of Education meeting, Superintendent of Schools Karen Wood informed that, as a solution to the growing number of special needs kids in the district, the Cecil S. Collins School will be adding an additional pre-kindergarten class….The main reason for this class, to be officially open for students come January 16, is “due to the sheer quantity of [special needs] kids,” said Dr. Brian Latwis, Director of Special Education for the Barnegat School District. ……All of the other Barnegat schools have some form of special needs class geared towards the needs of the majority of kids in that area, i.e. behavioral or cognitive classes, or classes for children with autism. …Jan 3, 2018, Public News Service: NC Autism Services Struggle to Keep Up with DemandRates of autism diagnosis are on the increase in North Carolina, up 30 percent since 2012. But in many parts of the state, families are waiting up to 18 months for the initial evaluation. …With this expansion, the Autism Clinic, which currently serves 350 children annually and employs 60 people, is expected to more than double its capacity and staff size within two years.Jan 3, 2018, (UK) Get Surrey: Surrey parents warned as school pressures see hundreds of youngsters resort to self harmBetween 2010 and 2016, staff at the hospital's accident and emergency department dealt with more than 5,300 of these distressing cases. …She added: "The number of young people we were working with doubled in September."It was quite a startling increase and that continued into October and November. …Jan 3, 2018, Topeka (KS) Capital Journal: USD 501 officials confirm in-house health clinic will be at Topeka High SchoolKruger said USD 501 has already expanded mental health services by increasing the number of counselors and social workers throughout the district.Jan 3, 2018, Grand Prairie (Alberta, Canada) Herald Tribune: GPCSD increases mental health counseling The Grande Prairie Catholic School District is putting more funding into mental health services in response to a growing need, said Superintendent Karl Germann.The district is now spending $389,000 for additional counselling support through Catholic Family Services.Jan 2, 2018, Portsmouth (NH) Seacoast: Year in Review: 2017 challenging for special education In January, Erin Frazier sought a $300,500 increase in spending for FY 18. She said the need was driven by a greater number of children needing special education services, coupled with a greater number of out-of-district placement of students…Jan 2, 2018, WHYY Radio, Philadelphia: Mercer County, N.J., school officials set meeting on rising teen suicide rateSeven suicides among teens in Mercer County, New Jersey, have the county’s school superintendents calling for action.Jan 1, 2018, New Canaan (CT) Advertiser: Details emerge on alternative high school—A program to meet therapeutic needs As high school students’ therapeutic emotional needs are on the rise — both locally and nationally — the Board of Education discussed an alternative high school program at 2018-19 budget workshop meeting, on Dec. 11, to help address those needs. …A close-to-15-person committee met over the fall to discuss the need of a program to address the emotional therapeutic needs of students, said Darlene Pianka, assistant superintendent for Pupil and Family Services. …The program would also address students who are “school avoidant,” since “we are seeing an increase in those numbers of students,” she said. …Some students who are treated out of district may benefit from being educated in district. Out-of-district programs, “cost in excess of $60,000 per student and run up to over $100,000 per student,” said Pianka. Jan 1, 2018, (Las Vegas) Luxora Leader: Warning signs on suicide in Clark County schools spark concerns Beyond guns, knives and fights, there’s another aspect of student safety that’s raising concerns in the Clark County School District.The number of documented cases of students demonstrating suicidal thoughts rose 32 percent in a year, from 1,585 in 2015-16 to 2,096 in 2016-17, according to district data.Numbers from the county coroner’s office tell a similar story. Since 2014, the number of children and teens committing suicide has increased steadily, from eight to 10 to 15. So far in 2017, that number stands at 11. ................
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